Daughter Uses CPR She Learned From Dad to Save His Life During Christmas Eve Emergency
When her dad’s heart suddenly stopped, one daughter relied on the CPR skills he taught her to save him
ER nurse Ed Breech had just returned home from his Christmas Eve shift when his heart suddenly stopped. Luckily, he’d taught his daughter Ellie CPR — and she sprang into action. Here, the father-daughter duo shares their story.
Ed Breech didn’t mind working the overnight shift on Christmas Eve. As an ER nurse, he was used to long hours during the holiday season. His daughter Ellie was home from college for winter break, and they’d spent the afternoon together on their usual 10-mile hike near Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
It was after 9 am when Ed finally got home from work. The family spent a cozy morning opening gifts, and then Ed yawned. “Naptime,” he told his wife Maggie, and headed to his basement retreat.
Ellie, a sophomore soccer star at the University of Pittsburgh, was headed to her room when her mom screamed. “Call 911! Something’s wrong with Dad!”
Ellie grabbed her phone and dashed downstairs. “His snoring sounded funny, so I came down to check on him,” Maggie said, panicked. Ellie discovered her dad had no pulse, but the 20-year-old kept calm, remembering how Ed had talked about CPR over dinner. “You can’t be afraid to go hard,” he’d said.
There was another reason Ellie was prepared. A few months after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during an NFL game, the former University of Pittsburgh student sponsored CPR and automated external defibrillator training for the school’s 400 athletes. Inspired, Ed had continued to teach Ellie CPR essentials.
A Christmas Eve rescue miracle
Quickly, Ellie pulled her dad off the bed and onto the floor. You can’t do proper CPR on a soft surface, Ed’s words filled her head as she started compressions. “Come on, Dad!” she urged, pressing with all her athlete’s strength. Each time she paused to check for a pulse, there was none. But she didn’t stop. Even if there’s no pulse, you need to keep the blood flowing, Ed had taught his daughter.
When paramedics arrived, they connected Ed to a CPR machine that mimicked Ellie’s compressions and rushed him to the same emergency department where he worked.
The staff gathered and tried to sound positive. “He’s getting the best care we have to offer,” they said, but Ellie and her mom sat silently, praying.
After four days on a bypass machine, Ed’s heart was fully beating, and he spent another four days on a breathing tube. Ellie was at her dad’s bedside when he finally spoke. “Thank you for saving my life,” he said.
Three weeks after his attack, Ed went home, and the doctors were astonished that he had no brain damage at all. “It’s because of you,” Ed proudly told Ellie.
Back at school, Ellie received a hero award presented by Damar Hamlin. “She’s going to make a great doctor someday,” Ed says. “She’s already off to a great start.”
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