When junior Graham Sine signed up to volunteer at the annual Moonlight Run and Walk, he expected an uneventful night of passing out water cups to runners.
Unbeknownst to him, he would later save the life of Krasimir Kolarov near the end of the race through several minutes of resuscitation. Sine said he did not hesitate to help after hearing Kolarov had collapsed. Sine also said the other people at the run were helpful and proactive in that moment.
“When I got there, he was already collapsed on the ground, but he was still breathing,” Sine said. “There were a couple of people around (him), and one had put him into the recovery position. They all called the police and guided them to (Kolarov).”
Despite his nerves, Sine said he stayed calm, applying CPR knowledge he learned from lifeguard training and Boy Scouts.
“I did what I remembered because we practiced (CPR) so much in the lifeguard training where we (made) up situations over and over again,” Sine said. “We pretended something happened, and I’d try to figure out what happened and what to do. What happened (at the event) was essentially the same thing.”
Kolarov said such a collapse was completely unexpected.
“Because of the cardiac arrest, I do not remember anything that happened that day,” Kolarov said. “I have been piecing together the event from talking to people that were there. When I woke up two days later in the hospital, I was very surprised that this happened to me.”
Sine said he had CPR training before he became a lifeguard.
“I got a diving license around two years ago,” Sine said. “On a trip that I went on, I was chosen to be trained in CPR, so I had already done it about a year before.”
To help Kolarov, Sine said he implemented his CPR training and his experience with automated external defibrillators, which he learned to use in becoming a lifeguard.
“The police came two minutes later after people called,” Sine said. “(A police officer and I) traded off doing CPR, and then I got the AED ready.”
Sine said his initial attempts were unsuccessful, but the paramedics’ equipment was enough to save Kolarov.
“I was doing CPR, and we got the AED up, which shocked him, but his heart didn’t start back up,” Sine said. “When the paramedics came, they brought in more advanced technology, and then they finally started his heart again.”
Sine said although he did not expect to use his CPR training, he never ruled out the possibility.
“I definitely thought that I wouldn’t need to use it,” Sine said. “But my dad told me a story of my grandfather, who did CPR on someone, so I knew there was definitely a chance it could come in handy, but I didn’t think it was going to happen so soon.”
Sine said his experience with Kolarov made him appreciate the value of learning life-saving skills.
“It’s an important skill for people to know, and I had the opportunity to learn it and I’m glad I did,” Sine said.
Kolarov said he is very grateful to everyone who helped him. Kolarov said, “I am extremely grateful for the fast reaction of everyone around me and that they were able to bring me back to life.”
