A WOMAN who used CPR to save her husband’s life is calling for compulsory life-saving skills to be taught in all schools and workplaces.
Carolyn Bjelan’s emergency first aid training – updated just a month earlier – kicked in when husband Jovan suddenly collapsed at their Harrogate home while doing some DIY.
“I was upstairs and heard a loud thud and when I found him I thought he must have fallen off the ladder,” said 52-year-old Carolyn.
“When I realised he wasn’t breathing there were a few seconds when I panicked and thought I can’t do this, but then the training kicked in and I knew I had to act quickly.
“I started CPR and rang for the ambulance putting them on speaker phone.”
Carolyn continued performing CPR on her husband until the emergency services arrived, saving his life.
Jovan’s heart started beating again but when he came round the 55-year-old was very agitated and Yorkshire Air Ambulance medics decided to place him in an induced coma before flying him to Leeds General Infirmary.
Carolyn added: “I do feel really strongly that CPR training should be much more widely taught in workplaces, in the community and in every school. We need to raise more awareness about the importance of having these skills.”
The dramatic incident features in the UKTV series Helicopter ER which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
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