DETROIT – A Mother of two in Detroit died nine times. Today, she can spend time with her kids due to quick action, knowing that CPR can save a loved one.
34-year-old Celeste Cole, a Detroit resident, had no prior medical history. Back in February 2024, Celeste experienced cardiac arrest, she was saved by her 4-year-old son, Liam, and mother, Elizabeth.
Cole says she remembers nothing; she was watching TV and then was gone. Family says she was slumped over, and the son noticed she was not waking up. Her mother called 911 and was instructed on how to position Celeste and then how to perform hand-only CPR by the operator.
Once emergency services took over, Celeste was taken care of in the hospital and received a defibrillator, now implanted in her chest.
Without the quick ability of both mother and son, Celeste may not be here today. Incidents like these aren’t rare. According to the American Heart Association, 70% of cardiac arrests happen at home. Knowing how to act and when to act, even at home, can be what makes the difference.
“If you have the opportunity to learn it, learn it,” is what Mother Elizabeth Cole says to anyone considering it.
Hands-only CPR training is widely offered in community centers and is a skill anyone willing and able to learn should learn.
Join us to learn hands-only CPR on May 21st at our Go 4 It CPR Lifesavers event at the Coleman A. Young Recreation Center, located at 2751 Robert Bradby Drive. The training will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with 60 slots available each hour. Walk-ins are welcome every half hour, and participants are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes before their planned time to make a difference in someone’s life.
---> Go 4 It: Learn how to save lives with hands-only CPR training