“All I can say is, I'm eternally grateful for the people who helped me on that day, from the nurses, ambulance service, the firefighters, the RCMP, everyone, the hospital staff. I wish I had a memory of it, but have absolutely no memory of it.”
Ed Kaczmarek struggled to control his emotions following a ceremony Thursday morning, to honour the nurses and first responders who saved his life — two years ago to the day — following his cardiac arrest as he enjoyed his daily walk at Davis Bay.
Nurse Aili Dawson was presented with a Vital Link Award, while travel nurse Jivy Gonzales, who was away and could not attend the award ceremony, was also honoured.
Vital Link Award recipients are nominated by BC Emergency Health Services, including paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers or supervisors, who want to express their gratitude for the exceptional help they received at the scene of a cardiac arrest.
The award honours the quick-thinking actions of bystanders who call 911, and/or are involved in saving a life through successful CPR efforts with or without the use of an automated external defibrillator.
Kaczmarek’s wife Rani, also told Coast Reporter how very grateful she is to have the man she loves alive and well, thanks to the quick work of everyone who responded to her husband’s sudden health crisis. Rani and daughter Angelique Yuen, arrived at the BC Ambulance Service station prior to the ceremony bearing plates of chocolate cupcakes decorated with tiny flags, which read, “Thank you.”
“They saved his life,” Rani said. “I will be forever grateful. He almost died, but he’s here now.”
The fact that Kaczmarek survived his cardiac arrest at all is not only due to the nurses and emergency responders who attended the scene, but also to fate. As reported in Coast Reporter at the time, it also all came down to the right people being in the right place, at the right time.
It was on May 1, 2023, when Gonzales was on his lunch break and walking toward Kaczmarek at Davis Bay when it looked like the older man had tripped. When Gonzales realized the man was not getting back up, Gonzales ran over. Kaczmarek was unconscious, not breathing and Gonzales couldn’t find a pulse. He then turned Kaczmarek over to begin CPR and a nearby woman called 911.
That’s when Dawson happened to come upon the scene while driving home. She quickly stopped her car, grabbed her nursing bag and joined the effort to help Kaczmarek by assisting with the CPR. Coincidentally, not far away, paramedic Aly Fors was orienting paramedic Benjamin Blaze to the area when they heard the emergency call over the radio and rushed to the scene to take over the nurses’ efforts at CPR.
At the ceremony, primary care paramedic Annelie Van Der Heyden, told the first responders, family and friends gathered, how happy the paramedics were to see Kaczmarek.
“We've gathered for a presentation to honour a great individual, Aili Dawson, who contributed to the successful resuscitation of one of our patients,” said Van Der Heyden. “Aili gave Ed a chance at survival because she acted quickly and courageously. As paramedics and dispatchers, we rarely get an opportunity to reunite with our patients, so it is indeed an honour.”
Van Der Heyden then explained the significance of the Vital Link Award and the importance of learning CPR. She noted, more than 60,000 Canadians suffer sudden cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year.
“Thanks to the swift coordinated efforts of everyone involved, Ed's chances of recovery were significantly improved and we are happy to see him here with us today,” said Van Der Heyden. “So, Aili, BC Emergency Health Services recognizes that it takes knowledge, courage and conviction to act in an emergency. Aili, we are proud to present you with an award signifying that you are our vital link in the emergency health care for British Columbians.”
Dawson told Coast Reporter at the ceremony, that by the time she got home that day after helping Ed, she had no idea about his condition.
“But then a couple of hours later, I heard a helicopter flying overhead and I knew if he was stable enough to fly, there was a good chance he’d be OK,” she said. “And here he is.”
