Aurora, IL – A 16-year-old Aurora athlete is alive today thanks to a bystander who acted fast during a sudden cardiac arrest at a basketball tournament earlier this year.
According to the Aurora Fire Department, Carter Zahn collapsed unexpectedly during a February game. A nearby spectator immediately began performing CPR, keeping Carter’s blood flowing until first responders arrived with an automated external defibrillator (AED). Officials say that quick action made all the difference in saving his life.
Fire officials are sharing Carter’s story this October in honor of National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month, urging residents to learn CPR and know where nearby AEDs are located. More than 350,000 people in the U.S. experience sudden cardiac arrest each year — and nearly 90% do not survive without rapid intervention.
“Sudden cardiac arrest isn’t the same as a heart attack — it’s an electrical malfunction that stops the heart from beating properly,” the department noted in a recent post. “Early CPR and rapid defibrillation are the only effective treatments.”
Experts emphasize that survival rates drop by about 10% for every minute without CPR or defibrillation.
Aurora Fire encourages community members to take a CPR class through StopCardiacArrest.org or CPR.Heart.org, adding that anyone — not just medical professionals — can save a life when seconds count.
This article was produced by a journalist and may include AI-assisted input. All content is reviewed for accuracy and fairness.
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