Jorge Soetebeer had undergone open-heart surgery three weeks earlier when he went into cardiac arrest. His wife, Roxanna, and his 13-year old son Philip sprang into action and immediately began performing CPR. They called 911 and the operator was able to keep them calm and pace them through compressions.
“I was worried I was going to break the, whatever is holding his chest together and make it worse, but I decided I just had to keep going, because if I didn’t, you know, he’s not breathing on his own,” Philip said.
But perhaps the most amazing part of this story is that Roxanna and her son were able to administer CPR for 30 straight minutes. Their home is in a remote area of Skiff Lake in New Brunswick, and it took first responders almost half an hour to arrive. But the pair remained calm and never stopped CPR.
Jorge made a full recovery and is incredibly grateful for his wife and son’s persistence and quick-thinking.
