CPR Professionals

01/09/2026

It's time to learn from the gold standard in lifesaving training. Our new courses, updated with the latest Guidelines, are available now – get started today!

Learn more about our courses: https://cpr.heart.org/

01/09/2026

Did you hear the one about the college student who had a stroke, then did stand-up comedy? It opens with 18-year-old Haley Warren, who was home in New York after her freshman year at the University of Southern California. A few days into summer break, Haley woke up feeling groggy, her vision was blurry, and her words were nonsense.

Her parents took her to the pediatric emergency room, where a nurse recognized those signs as a stroke. Haley was given medication to break up the clot restricting blood flow in her brain.

Haley showed no problems walking or talking after her stroke, but her vision was affected as well as her reading comprehension. She was also bothered by loud sounds and bright lights.

Haley dedicated herself to occupational and speech therapy and was able to return to Los Angeles for her sophomore year. On her way to a film degree, she enrolled in an improv comedy class – led by a professor who had a brain injury and whose mother was a stroke survivor.

“Not only was improv great for thinking on my feet and using that muscle, I was also excited to talk to someone who understood some of my challenges,” Haley said.

For a standup comedy class her junior year, she turned an assignment into a five-minute set about her stroke and recovery.

“I like to work things out through the writing part of my brain,” Haley said. “I get to talk about my struggles while also making people laugh.”

Haley graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in cinematic arts. She is working and performing in Los Angeles while working on her own screenwriting.

Her last stand-up show was in April at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting. She took the stage after a presentation on the neurology of laughter, performing for an audience that included neurologists who worked at the hospital where Haley was treated. “It was really lovely.”

01/07/2026

Did you know we are a Philips AED distributor? We will make sure you get the best price and hand deliver it to you at no cost. Order yours today!

01/07/2026

New AHA guidelines say compressions only are for adults only. New changes for drowning patients as well. Update your training today!

“If you have to do CPR, it’s almost always going to be for somebody you know – family, a friend, someone you work with.”

Those words from a Hands-Only CPR instructor really struck Rachael, who was just starting a new job at the American Heart Association.

Two weeks later, Rachael was home for the holidays when her dad’s heart stopped.

She started chest compressions, which kept oxygen flowing to Murray’s brain and other vital organs, giving her dad the best chance for a full recovery.

Two years later, Murray’s running 3 miles a day on a treadmill and his mind is as sharp as ever. He’s been to Colorado for the wedding of his youngest daughter, Sydney. He took a European cruise with his wife, Pam, to celebrate their 35th anniversary.

“There’s no question I was very fortunate. If all of those things hadn't fallen into place quite the way they had, I'd be a memory at this point.”

Rachael appreciates “the extra time” she has with her dad. She’s more grateful for time spent with everyone she cares about. She’s also begun nudging family and friends to get checkups.

Encouraging people to learn CPR and stay on top of their health happens to be part of her duties with the American Heart Association. Her personal experience gives added weight to the message.

“If I can change even one person’s fate, it’s so worth it,” Rachael says. “And then they can pass that torch to the next survivor.”

01/05/2026

After a full day of yard work Denis Popp’s left shoulder throbbed. He figured it was a flare-up of pain from a past injury, but pain medication didn’t help like it usually did. It hurt so badly he couldn’t get to sleep. The next morning, he went to urgent care.

“Mr. Popp, you’re having a heart attack,” a nurse told him. “An ambulance is on the way.” Within hours, doctors had placed three stents in his heart to clear blockages in his arteries.

At 47, married and the father of four daughters, he feared not turning 50. He started taking his health more seriously, learned about healthier eating and started walking regularly.

But his heart never recovered completely. Over the years, his heart function continued to deteriorate. He had to stop working. “I was using two canes to walk and could barely climb any stairs,” said Denis. He was told he’d need a heart transplant to survive in the long term.

Meanwhile, his left ventricle needed immediate help. That came in the form of a left ventricular assist device, a surgically implanted mechanical pump that essentially does the work of the left side of the heart. Patients can rely on them long-term or short-term while awaiting a heart transplant.

One evening 14 months later – Jan. 3, 2017, at 5:57 p.m., to be exact – the transplant team called. “Mr. Popp, would you like to come to the hospital tonight and get a new heart?”

The day after his transplant, Denis, who was about to turn 60, felt like a new person. And he had a new mission.

Now 68, Denis volunteers regularly with the organ transplant groups, the American Heart Association and Mended Hearts, a nonprofit that provides peer-to-peer counseling for people living with heart disease. He also volunteers at the hospital where he was treated.

“Someone passed away to give me this gift, and I am going to do everything I can to honor that,” he said. “It’s now my calling to help others going through the same thing.”

01/05/2026

Debra Wallace doubled over in her theater seat from a wave of nausea. She asked her friend to get her coat and meet her in the bathroom, where she threw up. When she emerged from the stall, three women – nurses at a nearby hospital – asked if she was OK.

Debra told them she’d been sick, was nauseous and felt as if an elephant was sitting on her chest. One of the nurses took Debra’s pulse and said, “I think you’re having a heart attack.” Debra wasn’t convinced. But her friend gently, but firmly, told her she should be in an emergency room.

Fifteen minutes later, Debra was hooked up to an electrocardiogram machine at the same hospital where her husband, Harry, died from congestive heart failure 10 years earlier.

The EKG confirmed she was in the throes of a heart attack. Doctors rushed her to the cardiac catheterization lab. Debra ended up with three stents in her heart’s arteries to improve blood flow. She returned home five days later with plans for twice-a-week outpatient cardiac rehab for six weeks.

At the time of her heart attack, Debra didn’t know that women’s heart attack symptoms can be different. Chest pain or discomfort is still the most common sign, but women may have other symptoms, such as the nausea and vomiting she experienced.

The ordeal prompted her to re-evaluate many things. If something happened to her, her son, Adam, who has autism, would be alone. She vowed to make a will and special-needs trust.

Debra now has a better understanding of her health, especially the importance of a healthy diet. She bought books about healthy eating, vegetarian meals and the Mediterranean diet. She cut back on candy, ice cream and cookies, and lost over 40 pounds. Three years later, she remains committed to her new routine.

“You have to take care of yourself so you can take care of your child,” Debra said. “Don’t ignore the warning signs, make the changes, and then keep them because it’s so easy to go back to your old ways.”

01/01/2026

Happy happy new year! We wish you a healthy and safe 2026. New guidelines are out so if you would like updated training reach out to us. 

12/26/2025

The dizziness hit Whitney hard. She thought it was dehydration and a quick shower and drink of water before bed would do the trick.

But the dizziness got worse. As they settled into bed, her husband, Tim, noticed Whitney talking “a little goofy.” Tim looked directly into her eyes and asked, “Are you OK?”

Whitney moaned. Tim knew, “Something is seriously wrong.”

He took Whitney to their community hospital in rural Utah. By that point, Whitney could no longer move her left leg or arm.

A CTA scan confirmed the staff’s suspicions: She was having a stroke. The major vessel carrying blood to her brain was 100% blocked. She was given a clot-busting drug and sent by helicopter to HCA Healthcare’s Ogden Regional Medical Center, a certified Primary Plus Stroke Center that offers endovascular thrombectomy treatment for stroke.

Whitney was awake for the procedure. The doctor inserted a wire into a blood vessel in her groin, which would move up to her brain to pull the clot out. Suddenly, Whitney felt movement in her neck and then a quick rush of blood to her head.

“Wow, that was crazy!” She exclaimed, as clearly as she normally spoke. She could move her arm and leg again.

“It was like I hadn’t even had a stroke.”

Almost a year later, Whitney and Tim think about all the things that went right that night. Whitney’s symptoms appeared before they fell asleep, and she got to the hospital quickly. Because of the nurses and doctors coordinating care between two hospitals, she got a brain scan, clot-busting medication, helicopter transport and a thrombectomy in quick order.

Today, Whitney is back running. In September, she completed a half-marathon. “I was just really thankful and grateful that I can still run. I can still have this normal life.”

Remember the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke: If you see Face drooping, Arm Weakness or Speech difficulty, it’s Time to call 911 so treatment can begin right away.

The HCA Healthcare Foundation is a national sponsor of Together to End Stroke(R).

12/26/2025

12/23/2025

AHA is reporting close to 2500 lost lives per day due to cardiovascular disease….surprise your family this year with the gift of knowing how to save lives💕

12/19/2025

"My symptoms were vague. I could have explained most of them away with 1,000 different excuses (I'm a mom; I'm tired; I didn't eat anything; I was in a hurry), but for some reason that day, I kept saying to the ER doctor, 'Something is wrong. I'm not usually this exhausted. This is not normal,' and he listened. In a nutshell, he saved my life."

Kim survived a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and wants to make sure you don't take your heart for granted. Trust your instincts when something doesn't feel right. Advocate for your heart.

12/18/2025

Here’s a funny our supplier posted today. A big shout out to Laerdal Medical for supplying us with great CPR manikins🎄