"Mum was hysterical. She called the ambulance as I tried to stay calm but inside I felt mad with fear as she relayed what the 999 handler was saying. Check if he's breathing, she told me. I put my hand on his chest but felt nothing. Move him to the floor. I laid him on the wood flooring. The call handler told Mum to begin CPR. Dad was motionless as she pushed on his chest."
"I'd attended first-aid training years ago, while working at a bowling alley, but remembered nothing. Something seemed off, though the timing wasn't right. Then I remembered The Office. I took over from Mum and played the scene and song in my head for 13 minutes, trying to resuscitate Dad Specifically, I remembered a scene in the US series where Steve Carell's character, Michael Scott, is being taught how to demonstrate CPR to the team, on a dummy, to the tune of the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive."
"After Stanley has recovered, Michael brings in a CPR trainer, who offers a tip that the rhythm of Stayin' Alive perfectly matches the rate at which you should administer CPR. The first aid is ignored as the team harmonise and dance to the Bee Gees, Andy bringing in the high-pitched lyrics. In my parents' living room, the bit I needed jumped to the front of my mind: Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah to compress Dad's chest, then rest on stayin' alive."
A father collapsed at home four days after his 73rd birthday on a very hot evening. His breathing stopped and he was motionless, prompting an ambulance call and instructions to check breathing and begin CPR. The narrator had past first-aid training but could not recall the steps. A remembered scene from The Office provided a specific CPR rhythm using the Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive.” The narrator mentally played the scene and song for about 13 minutes while performing chest compressions on the wood flooring. The remembered timing guided the resuscitation effort during the emergency.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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