Regina Woman Uses CPR Training to Save Two Lives in Just Two Months

“I was obviously very thankful when I heard what happened,” Fyfe said. “The fact that she knew to react immediately and not just panic is what saved my life.”

Neither McCormick nor Fyfe expected something like this to happen—especially to Fyfe, an athletic 29-year-old who had won the Queen City Marathon just the year before.

Doctors may never know exactly why Fyfe went into heart failure that night, but he now lives with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, a device that will automatically shock his heart if it happens again.

“Be thankful for every day you’ve got,” Fyfe said. “You never know what might happen.”

Saving a Second Life—Weeks Later

After the ordeal with Fyfe, McCormick jokingly told friends that if she ever saved two lives, she could call herself a superhero. She never imagined how quickly that second moment would come.

Less than a month later, while hiking near Fernie, British Columbia, McCormick and Fyfe came across a woman who had collapsed on the trail.

“She had the same symptoms,” McCormick said. “Apparently the first thing out of my mouth was, ‘Oh — not again.’”

Without hesitation, McCormick sprang into action. This time, she reacted even faster—helped by daylight, experience, and knowing exactly what to do.

After just four or five chest compressions, the woman regained semi-consciousness and began breathing again. By the time paramedics arrived about 15 minutes later, the woman appeared stable and alert.

“I’m lucky, and those people are lucky too,” McCormick said. “The second hiker was even luckier—she got an experienced CPR person.”

Why CPR Training Matters

McCormick first became CPR certified while studying early childhood education and has maintained her certification every three years as part of her work in childcare. Although she never needed CPR at work, her training proved invaluable in real-life emergencies—twice.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, approximately 40,000 cardiac arrests occur every year. Eight out of ten happen at home or in public places, and only one in ten people survive cardiac arrest outside a hospital.

Early CPR—especially when combined with the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)—can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival. This is why enrolling in a recognized CPR and AED training course is so important.
equip everyday people with the confidence and skills needed to respond immediately in a cardiac emergency.

“You never know when you’re actually going to need it,” McCormick said. “Whether you’re sleeping beside your loved one, out on a trail, or just walking down the street—it literally is life-saving. I will never let my certification lapse. I tell everyone now: go get it.”

Learn CPR. Save a Life.

CPR training gives ordinary people the power to do extraordinary things. As Mallory McCormick’s story shows, being prepared can mean the difference between life and death—more than once.

This story was adapted from the original reporting by the Regina Leader-Post. You can read the full article here:
👉 Regina woman helps save two lives in two months performing CPR