Do You Know What to Do in the Moments that Matter?

Accidents and emergencies can happen any time of year. Last summer, emergency rooms saw a spike in heat illness from the country’s extreme temperatures. Winter brings cold weather emergencies. The American Red Cross encourages everyone to learn first aid, CPR and how to use an AED, so they can act in the moments that matter all year round.

So far this year, the Red Cross has honored more than 440 individuals with a national Lifesaving Award for their heroic efforts which helped save more than 205 lives. Following are examples of how people used the knowledge and skills they learned in their training course to help save a life.

COURTNEY KNEW WHAT TO DO Imagine being jolted awake in the middle of the night by your son having a seizure beside you, only to realize he wasn’t breathing. This was the terrifying reality for Courtney Cosby. Thanks to her Red Cross training, Courtney knew just what to do. She sprang into action, performing CPR and instructing her mom to call 911. On the way to the hospital, her son began to cough and cry in the ambulance.

Courtney's quick and heroic actions saved her son's life. The Red Cross of Oklahoma presented her with a Lifesaving Award at The Muscogee Nation headquarters. Her instructor, Tammy Lewis, was also recognized.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO NEED IT Just six months after getting married, Jim McBride suffered a heart attack at his local YMCA. Now, he's a lifeguard at that same YMCA, working alongside the three people who saved his life.

"I am so thankful every day for how lucky I am," Jim said. "Had this happened anywhere else, I would have been gone by the time the ambulance came."

After swimming laps in the pool, Jim hopped in the hot tub. Gabe DiEmidio and Peter McMonagle, new lifeguards and high school sophomores at the time, noticed something was wrong — Jim's head was about to slip under the water.

Peter quickly pulled Jim out of the water and started CPR. Gabe pressed the nearby emergency button to call first responders and grabbed an AED. A third lifeguard, Carlotta Myers, had just clocked in and rushed over to help.

After his heart attack, Jim needed five hours of emergency surgery and spent a week in the hospital. But because of the seamless actions and specialized skills of the lifeguards on duty that day, he is alive and well.

Gabe, Peter and Carlotta all received Lifesaving Awards from the Red Cross Southern Pennsylvania to honor their heroic efforts. Peter hopes that this story will inspire others — no matter their profession — to sign up for a CPR class. "It's a good skill to have," Peter said. "You never know when you are going to need it."