'I'm indebted to these guys': First responder, former cop save N.S. man's life in hockey rink
John Guinan, like he had done countless times in his life, hit the ice and started skating. He was moving around the net when, without warning, he was plunged into darkness and hit the ground, and waking up looking at the men who saved his life.
“I had a cardiac arrest,” said Guinan, who is from Truro, N.S. “There was no feeling per se, things just went black. It was like a lamp being unplugged.”
Nigel Leggett, a first responder, and Greg Whalen, a former police officer, leapt into action to save Guinan’s life on the ice on March 7.
“We got him rolled over and got his hockey gear out of the way,” Leggett said. “You could tell by the colour… he had left us at that point. Greg came back with the AED (automated external defibrillator) and the shock went off and probably within 90 seconds John was talking with us.”
Whalen said last July a player left the bench saying they didn’t feel well and was soon taken to hospital as they suffered a heart attack. Whalen took the initiative to set up First Aid protocols on the bench.
“When Johnny had his incident, that protocol, I believe, helped save his life,” Whalen said.
Guinan is deeply grateful to the people who helped save him and hopes by sharing the story it will benefit others.
“I’m indebted to these guys, it’s a debt I’ll never be able to repay,” he said. “It’s my hope we can turn this (into something) for the benefit of all.
“The most sincere, heartfelt thank you I can muster.”
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
Correction
A previous version of this story incorrectly referred to Greg Whalen as a paramedic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Ontario man loses $1,500 applying for Nexus cards on social media
The trusted traveller program between Canada and the United States is extremely popular and almost two million Canadians have a Nexus card.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Concerns about Plexiglas prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglas barriers.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.
NEW A mother's hopes to free her son from a Syrian prison is revitalized by a new human rights report
Just days before the seventh anniversary of the day Jack Letts was thrown in prison with thousands of suspected ISIS fighters, his mother, Sally Lane, delivered a small stack of envelopes to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.