Saying 'thank you' to emergency responders in Sudbury
A new program in Greater Sudbury is allowing pre-hospital cardiac survivors to meet and thank emergency responders.
That includes Gilles Moreau, 65, who suffered a cardiac arrest in late October. He said he had no vital signs when first responders arrived.
"Once firefighters and a paramedic came, then a second crew of paramedics appears and they shocked me twice and then they take me back to life and then brought me to the hospital," said Moreau.
Last week he had the opportunity to meet and thank them in person.
"Most of the time I think we don't realize how important their job is. And they did the best action, the best move, the best decision to save my life," said Moreau.
Brenda Barrett responded that day and appreciates the program, which reunites pre-hospital cardiac survivors with first responders.
"Quite often we don't get to know the outcome of most of our patients much less such a significant event that happens to any of our patients,” Barrett said.
“So it was nice to meet him to speak him with him personally and to hear about the impact of our actions in his life now."
Jim Bergeron was captain of the fire crew that helped save Moreau's life that day, but has not had the opportunity to meet him. He said the program is a positive step for emergency responders.
"We go out and do our jobs day in and day out not knowing the outcome of the people we go out to help,” Bergeron said.
“So seeing this great outcome and being able to put some closure to some of these calls I think is an excellent asset.”
The program is voluntary for cardiac arrest survivors who want to meet first responders.
The city said it recognizes the positive impact the in-person meetings have on first responders when they find out a pre-hospital cardiac arrest patients have made a full recovery.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.