Valley 8th graders get first-hand CPR training

Kathie Relley shared a very important story with 8th grade students at Wigwam Creek Middle School on Wednesday morning.

Relley told them how her husband saved her life.

"I was sleeping and he said I was snoring," she said. "He recognized it as a lack of air. He's trained in first-response."

Thanks to her husband, and what she calls "Bystander CPR," Relley survived sudden cardiac arrest and she makes it her mission to make sure any and everyone else stands the same chance.

"They can go home, teach their families; you never know when a cardiac will occur and you might be the only one in a group that knows what to do," she said.

Relley walked the students through the basic life-saving skills that are CPR, with chest compressions being just one step.

Using dummies, the students received the hands-on training and now have a deeper understanding of hoe to save a life.

"Using my mom as an example; it can happen to anyone," said Shealeigh Harden, Relley's daughter. "You don't have to be a certain age, there's no requirement. They could go home and one of their family members could collapse tonight."

The Hospital Growth Cancer Center of America was also there to provide students with take-home CPR kits.