Tina Ballue was one of four Good Samaritans credited with helping resuscitate an unconscious man along Calle Real in Santa Barbara on the afternoon of April 27.
"They said, 'He says he needs CPR, can you give CPR?' And I said yes. I didn't even think about it. I just ran over and immediately put my hands on his chest, checked for breathing, checked the airway and started giving CPR. I could not say I felt ready, but I knew I had to do something," Ballue said.
Ballue says after doing hands-only CPR for two rounds, the man began to breathe on his own and remained alert.
"The hardest part when you look back is that it easily could have gone the other way," Ballue said.
CPR trainer Justin Haagen with Safety Matters says the quick work by all four strangers made all the difference.
"She did the right thing, first of all, she stopped, which is a big deal. The longer a person is unresponsive and not breathing, the longer that happens with nobody doing anything, the more unlikely it's going to become that they'll be resuscitated," Haagen said.
Haagen says that CPR increases survival rates by 44% for someone who isn’t breathing; if no CPR is given, survival drops to 10%.
"When someone is unresponsive and not breathing, minutes matter," Haagen said.
In an emergency, Haagen says the first thing to do is call 911.
"It doesn't matter why they're unresponsive or not breathing. If they are unresponsive and not breathing, that's a good time to try some CPR," Haagen said.
Whether you’re CPR certified or not, Haagen and Ballue agree, stopping to help is the most important thing.
"If somebody stops, you are courageous enough. I did what I could, and thankfully, that was enough on that day," Ballue said.
