When Cyrille Paquin went for a haircut last Wednesday, he never expected to be using his CPR training.
Paquin and his five-year-old son were at Sylvan Lake Barber Shop when an elderly man getting his hair cut in a nearby chair suddenly gasped. The woman working on him asked if he was okay, but received no response other than another gasp.
At this point, Paquin got up to see what was going on. Right away, he knew something was wrong. The man’s eyes were rolled back in his head.
“I knew I had to do something,” said Paquin.
While the shop’s staff called emergency help, Paquin picked the man up, laid him on the ground, and performed CPR on him.
He continued to reassure the man, who kept gasping, until help arrived.
“Everything happens so quick,” said Paquin. “The look of fear on his face, I’ll never forget.”
Paquin has had CPR training for 10-12 years, which he learned from a St. John Ambulance course. He decided to learn first aid because he had three children, and he wanted to be prepared in case something ever happened to them. His oldest daughter, 17, is also trained in CPR. However, Paquin has never had to use his training before. He said that as soon as he was in an emergency situation, his instincts kicked in.
“It’s a blessing that I had it, and was in the right place at the right time,” said Paquin. “It’s nice that I was able to help out.”
Paquin said that because of the situation he was in, he kept wondering where the emergency crews were.
“Your mind is racing,” he said. “It just seemed like forever but it wasn’t forever.” He added that the response team was excellent after they arrived.
The man is in hospital in Red Deer.
by Aleisha Bosch