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Girls Breath
Life into Dad
Skill and quick thinking saves Arnaudville
man's life
William Johnson
Opelousas Daily World
January 2005
Proud
of what she had learned, 9-year-old
Tori
Martin wanted to practice CPR on her
father …just for fun. A little busy at the
time, Leonnard “Joe” Martin Jr., said no.
Two
weeks later, Tori would get the chance
to perform CPR on her father, though this time it wasn’t
practice.
Tori
and her 14-year-old sister Michelle used their newly acquired
skill to save their father’s life after he had passed
out and stopped breathing inside their Arnaudville home. With
maturity and patience beyond their years, Tori and Michelle,
still groggy from having to wake up at 2 a.m., immediately
went into action – Michelle doing the chest work and
Tori breathing air into her father’s lungs.
“Thank
God they were there,” said a grateful mother and wife,
Pauline Martin. “I’m so proud of them.”
Pauline
Martin said that night her husband wasn’t feeling well.
She decided he needed to go to the emergency room, so she
woke up her two daughters to get them ready.
“He
was coming out of the bathroom. He was real, real pale,”
she remembers. “Then he collapsed on the bed. I was
in a state of shock. I didn’t know what to do.”
She
turned to her daughters for help.
Tori
had just learned how to do CPR thanks to her Arnaudville Elementary
physical education teacher, Edie LeBlanc. Her big sister didn’t
have the same training but knew what to do thanks to TV.
“She
watches ER and CSI and Law and Order,” Tori said.
Tori
said she and her sister performed CPR for about three minutes,
though it seemed like an hour according to their mother.
“Then
he finally came back alive,” Tori said, smiling.
An
ambulance eventually arrived and rushed Martin to Doctors’
Hospital in Opelousas, where he would spend the next two days
in intensive care undergoing tests.
“He’s
back home now. He’s doing fine,” Pauline Martin
said.
Leonnard
Martin Sr., who lives next door to his son and grandchildren,
is recommending his granddaughters for the Young Hero’s
Lifesaving Award, which is given out by the VFW, where he
is a member. Dr. Mohamed Khan with Cardiovascular Institute
of the South said they deserve it. He is a big believer in
bystander CPR.
“I’m
proud of these young girls for being such heroes. They showed
real strength, fortitude and courage in helping their father,”
Khan said.
He
said the first four minutes after a heart attack, long before
an ambulance can arrive, are the most critical.
“Bystander
CPR is probably the most important link in the chain of survival,”
Khan said.
He
said CPR needs to be started within four to seven minutes
after an attack to prevent brain damage. If it isn’t
started within 10 minutes, the chance of death is greatly
increased.
“Even
a 12-year-old can compress the chest enough to provide 30
percent of blood flow. That is adequate to prevent brain death
and provide time for the ambulance to get there,” Khan
said. “Maybe the example of these two young girls will
encourage other students and families members to learn CPR.
They too could become someone’s hero.”
For
anyone who wants to learn this lifesaving skill, Dr. Khan
will sponsor the second annual “Keep the Beat”
free CPR training class Feb. 26 at Opelousas Catholic School.
“We
trained 275 people last year. I hope we will have a huge turn
out this year,” Khan said. To register for the free
class call (877) 288-0011.
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