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A CPR instructor had to halt her class to respond to a real-life emergency. Karen Mayfield was conducting a training course at the Saint John the Baptist Church in Tonawanda, New York, when somebody rushed into the room and said that his neighbor was unconscious and needed CPR.
Mayfield, who had never performed CPR on a person before, rushed over to help.
"It was wild, and it just, to me, is just a great example of why we take these classes," assemblyman Bill Conrad, who was attending the class, told WIVB. "Here's the instructor, who, in her own words, said I've never done this on an actual person before, and we were in the training, and just these simulations and so on are so real. It prepared her, and she did a fantastic job and saved that woman's life. She's alive today."
Mayfield told the news station that she was shaken by the incident but was glad that she was able to help.
"I hope this story can serve as yet another reminder of how invaluable a familiarity with CPR can be and that it inspires others to pursue the training. I commend the efficiency and expertise of the town paramedics and police, who every day on the job endure the stress of critical events and emergencies," Mayfield said in a statement.
Conrad praised Mayfield and said her actions show how important it is to get CPR training.
"She's a hero to me and to this woman," Conrad said. "It just shows you how important these classes are, that literally we're taking it, and it was spurred by what happened to Damar Hamlin, but it's just amazing to see that it works and it's real. It happened literally the same night as the training, and how crazy that is."