By FRANCESA MOLD
North Shore schoolgirl Hayley Bergin has no memory of the day her heart suddenly stopped.
But she will always be grateful to the three schoolfriends who saved her life by resuscitating her.
Hayley, aged 15, was walking out of class at Carmel College in Milford on February 16 when she
suddenly collapsed.
Her friend Kate Hamilton realised she had stopped breathing and had no pulse, so she began doing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Two passing students, Teresa Lawton and Elizabeth Bellchambers, stopped to help, and the girls were able to keep blood circulating through Hayley's body until an ambulance arrived minutes later.
Doctors who treated Hayley at Green Lane Hospital said that without the girls' CPR she would certainly have died.
Paediatric cardiologist Dr Jon Skinner said the actions of Hayley's friends demonstrated that anyone, not just doctors and nurses, could save lives if they knew CPR.
Auckland Hospital intensive care specialist Dr Tony Smith said an average of 1.3 cardiac arrests happened in the city every day.
"There seems to be an apathy by the public to dedicate just three hours to learning what could be a lifesaving skill. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of knowing how to do CPR - the outcome of this incident proves that."
Kate learned CPR through her involvement with the Mairangi Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, Elizabeth belonged to the Guides and Teresa is a member of St John.
Hayley, who had previously had surgery for a congenital heart problem, said her whole family were now planning to learn CPR. Her father, John, believes the technique should be taught in all schools.
Hayley is recovering well and is back at school part-time after having an operation to insert a cardiovertor defibrillator under the skin just below the collarbone. The defibrillator is a small pacemaker device which delivers an electric shock to restart the heart if it stops again.
