Thunder Bay teen honoured for saving father's life with CPR

THUNDER BAY, Ontario, Nov. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last evening, the Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation and Hydro One, its Ontario provincial partner, proudly presented a Thunder Bay teenager with the ACT Rescuer Award in recognition for her quick-thinking heroics and use of lifesaving CPR to help her father, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in their home last summer. She was honoured during an awards ceremony at St. Patrick High School.

When Madeleine Caza, 15, was woken by her brother, Luke Caza, 13, early one August morning to alert her that their father, Michel Caza, 47, was unresponsive and not breathing, the siblings ran to their parents' bedroom to help. Their mother, Clare Caza, had already started performing CPR and was on the phone with the 911 operator.

Madeleine was trained through the ACT High School CPR and AED Program, which aims to see all students empowered to save lives. With the 911 operator's guidance, Madeleine and Luke quickly placed Michel on the floor, and Madeleine took over performing CPR until firefighters arrived. Luke ran downstairs to wake their older brother, Christian Caza, 17, and let firefighters into the house.

"I was able to save my dad's life because of the training," said Madeleine.

"How can you ever thank them enough?" said Michel. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them and the ACT High School CPR and AED Program."  

The ACT Foundation set up the ACT High School CPR and AED Program in six schools in Thunder Bay and surrounding communities with the support of provincial partners Hydro One and the Government of Ontario, ACT's health partners, AstraZeneca Canada and Amgen Canada, and community partners. More than 17,300 students have been trained in CPR to date by their teachers. 

"Hydro One is proud to help fund ACT's life-saving program," said Doug Rivard, Distribution Superintendent for the Provincial Lines Team, Hydro One. "The heroic efforts of Madeleine show that the work ACT is doing in schools across the province is making a life-changing impact on the students they train. It is imperative for the health and safety of a community that young people have the tools and the confidence they need to quickly respond to a medical emergency."

ACT is a national charitable foundation dedicated to establishing CPR and AED training in Canadian high schools. ACT has trained more than 2.9 million youth across Ontario.

ACT establishes High School CPR and AED Programs, where teachers are trained to teach students the following: how to recognize a life-threatening medical emergency; safety issues and emergency scene management; CPR and how to use an AED; and how to respond to a suspected opioid overdose, a new aspect of the program through additional funding support from Hydro One (announced in November 2022), as well as a contribution from Health Canada and ACT's health partners.

"As a founding partner of the ACT Foundation, we're so proud to continue supporting its goal of establishing CPR and defibrillator training in Canadian high schools, providing youth with critical life-saving skills, and raising awareness of the importance of cardiovascular health. The quick action Madeleine took to save the life of her father is incredibly inspiring and a testament to the impact of the ACT High School CPR and AED Program," said Kiersten Combs, President at AstraZeneca Canada.

"Amgen is honoured to support the ACT Foundation as a National Health Partner. Rescue stories are a testament to the quality of the program and the criticality of ensuring that the education community is equipped with the knowledge and skills to contribute. Together we will continue to advance excellence in science literacy, inspire the next generation, help educators to teach more effectively, and improve access to resources for teachers, students, and society at large," said Ugur Gunaydin, General Manager of Amgen Canada

"We are incredibly proud to honour Madeleine with the ACT Rescuer Award for using the skills and knowledge learned through the ACT High School CPR and AED Program to help save her father's life," said Sandra Clarke, Executive Director, the ACT Foundation. "The program teaches youth how to take charge and help in a life-threatening medical emergency, while also teaching leadership, civic responsibility, and building their self-esteem ? and Madeleine demonstrates all the above."

To read the full rescue story, click here.

About the ACT Foundation 

The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation is the national charitable organization establishing free CPR and AED training in Canadian high schools. The program is built on ACT's award-winning, community-based model of partnerships and support, whereby ACT finds local partners who donate the mannequins and AED training units that schools need to deliver the program. High school teachers are trained to then teach lifesaving skills to their students as a regular part of the curriculum, reaching all youth prior to graduation. ACT's partners committed to bringing the program to Ontario are the Government of Ontario and Hydro One, and our national health partners, AstraZeneca Canada and Amgen Canada. The ACT Foundation gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) for the ACT Opioid Overdose Response Training program. For more information, visit www.actfoundation.ca or Twitter @actfoundation. #ACT2Save

For media interviews and information: 

Paula Bugden 
Communications Coordinator 
ACT Foundation 
[email protected] 
Tel: (613) 729-3455 ext. 103 
Toll: (800) 465-9111 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: 
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d49773f6-6b1a-4bad-999b-b6ca509406c5