I found an older man collapsed in the road. Another man and I pulled him to safety and performed chest compressions for five minutes while onlookers just watched.
Paramedics shocked him several times before stabilizing him. Police later said that without our quick action, he wouldn’t have survived the massive heart attack.
At the hospital, I met Stephen—he had technically died three times but survived against 10% odds. It turns out he’s the town’s beloved Santa Claus, and he promised we’d share beers when he recovers.
Sometimes, knowing CPR truly saves lives.
An older man collapsed in the road. Not on the sidewalk where someone might stop quickly. In the road—traffic, danger, vulnerable to being hit by cars. Someone had to act immediately, and two people did.
“Another man and I pulled him to safety.” First priority: get him out of the road. Drag him to the sidewalk or shoulder where they could work without both being at risk from traffic. This isn’t easy—adult males are heavy, and dead weight (unconscious) is even harder to move. But they did it.
“And performed chest compressions for five minutes while onlookers just watched.” Five minutes feels like eternity when you’re doing CPR. Your arms burn, your back aches, you’re counting compressions and trying to maintain proper depth and rhythm. And around you, people just watch. Some frozen by shock, some assuming someone else will help, some filming on phones instead of assisting.
But these two didn’t stop. Five minutes of chest compressions, keeping blood flowing to Stephen’s brain and organs, keeping him alive until professional help arrived. That’s not just knowing CPR—that’s having endurance and commitment to keep going when it’s physically exhausting.
Paramedics shocked him several times before stabilizing him. He wasn’t just unconscious—his heart wasn’t beating properly. Needed defibrillation, multiple times. The kind of cardiac emergency where survival odds plummet with every minute of delayed care. But these two had bought time with their CPR, kept Stephen alive long enough for paramedics to use their equipment.
“Police later said that without our quick action, he wouldn’t have survived the massive heart attack.” That’s not hyperbole or reassurance. That’s medical fact. Massive heart attacks require immediate intervention. Every minute without CPR drops survival rates by 10%. These two performing compressions for five minutes while waiting for paramedics is literally why Stephen survived.
“At the hospital, I met Stephen—he had technically died three times but survived against 10% odds.” Stephen coded three times. Three times his heart stopped, three times medical teams brought him back. The odds of surviving after coding once are bad. Three times? Ten percent survival rate. But Stephen beat those odds.
“It turns out he’s the town’s beloved Santa Claus.” Of course he is. The man these two strangers saved wasn’t just any victim—he was someone who’d spent years bringing joy to children, being the embodiment of Christmas spirit for their community. If there’s poetry in who they saved, it’s that Santa Claus got to survive because two people knew CPR and weren’t afraid to use it.
“And he promised we’d share beers when he recovers.” That promise matters. It transforms this from anonymous good samaritan story into relationship. Stephen knows who saved him. His rescuers know the man whose life they preserved. When he recovers enough to leave hospital, they’ll sit down together and share beers—celebrating survival, acknowledging the bond formed when someone saves your life, honoring the decision to stop and help rather than walk past.
“Sometimes, knowing CPR truly saves lives.” That understated conclusion belies the profound truth demonstrated here. CPR training gets treated as box-checking requirement for certain jobs, something you learn and hope never to use. But this story proves it matters. Two people who knew CPR saved Santa Claus. Without that training, Stephen would have died in the road before paramedics arrived.
The photos show this journey. Left image: the immediate aftermath, paramedics working on Stephen in the road, the rescuer still present, onlookers standing around. Right image: hospital visit, the rescuer with recovered Stephen, both smiling, that promised beer meeting happening, both understanding the profound gift of survival.
This story is why everyone should learn CPR. Not because you’ll definitely use it—most people never will. But because when the moment comes, knowing what to do means the difference between someone dying and someone surviving. Between a family losing their beloved Santa Claus and Stephen getting to continue bringing joy to his community.
The rescuer will carry this forever—the knowledge that they saved a life. That Stephen codes three times and survived against 10% odds partially because two strangers performed CPR for five minutes while onlookers watched. That the town’s Santa Claus gets more years of spreading Christmas joy because someone knew chest compressions and wasn’t afraid to use them.
And Stephen carries it too—the debt of gratitude to people who stopped when others walked past. Who pulled him from the road. Who kept his blood flowing for five minutes until help arrived. Who visited him in hospital and accepted his promise of beers when recovered. Who gave him a second chance against impossible odds.