Carnegie Science Center, cardiac arrest survivors come together in renewed effort to teach CPR

PITTSBURGH — Heart health is on the minds of many these days, so the American Heart Association’s “National Wear Red Day” was a perfect time for the relaunch of the FedEx Group Hands-Only CPR kiosk at Highmark SPORTSWORKS at Carnegie Science Center.

When it comes to saving lives, every second is precious, and no one knows that better than Channel 11 news anchor Susan Koeppen, who went into cardiac arrest in 2011, then paid it forward years later.

“CPR saves lives – you have to do something,” Koeppen said. “If you do something, you’re giving that person a fighting chance. Somebody saved me, and years later, I was able to save somebody else.”

Koeppen, who was recognized by the American Heart Association Friday morning, joined other survivors to receive a refresher course through a special, interactive CPR kiosk. The “Hands-Only” technique is two easy steps – immediately call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest at 100 compressions per minute.

To learn hands-only CPR, you can watch a 1-minute video here.

“Ensuring that from an early age, whether you’re involved in sports or any other activity, that we are trained and ready to help our family, friends, and loved ones,” said Matthew Sousa, executive director of the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Heart Association.

For many, there’s a newfound awareness to learn CPR after McKees Rocks native and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after collapsing on the field.

“My mom and I kept sending reports of him back and forth to each other of what was going on because I was able to connect so much with what happened to him,” said Devin Latsko, a high school student and cardiac arrest survivor.

“It can happen to a young kid, it can happen to a professional athlete, so the importance of knowing it is absolutely incredible,” said Donna Latsko, Devin’s mother.

Hamlin issued a nationwide #3 for Heart challenge this week, encouraging everyone to learn CPR, and he’s not the only one.

“I am challenging David [Johnson], Lisa [Sylvester], and Stephen [Cropper] - get out there, learn CPR, spread the message,” Koeppen said.

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