Joanne Yurko

Joanne’s Story

I played in a local curling league in Okotoks. It was during league play; I was sweeping a rock down the ice. The curling rink is always noisy with lots of chatter, suddenly the rink went quiet. I looked around and saw a crowd gathering around a man who had just fallen. 

I dropped my broom, ran over, and saw the man was in cardiac arrest. There were several people willing to help. I took control of the scene, directed the bystanders to get him off the ice, and started CPR. Someone brought the AED from the rink.  

I remember everything was moving so fast yet setting up the AED seemed to take so long. I turned on the AED and listened to the prompts. The AED did a rhythm check and advised me a shock was needed. The AED administered the shock, we resumed CPR. The man started moving. We stopped CPR, but in a few seconds, the AED did another rhythm, and another shock advise. We resumed CPR after the 2nd shock. The man started moving, and then the EMS arrived.  

I later received an update through the curling rink staff, that the man had survived and received an implanted defibrillator. He was OK because I knew what to do! 

 I am a clinical nurse educator (CNE) that teaches advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and basic cardiac life support (BCLS) to Nurses.  I live and breathe this, teach it, but to use these skills in a public setting without hospital equipment or specialized services is a whole other experience.   

I often think of that night. How I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right skills and knowledge to save that man’s life.