By EMS1 Staff
CAPITOLA, Calif. — A man who went into cardiac arrest while on a paddleboarding date is now advocating for the public to learn CPR.
CBS News reported that Andi Traynor and Max Montgomery met on Facebook when Montgomery invited friends to join him in training for a paddleboarding marathon, and Traynor responded.
The now-couple were on their fourth paddleboarding session when Montgomery underwent cardiac arrest.
“I kept saying just make it to the car, make it to the car and I said I need to put the board down and I put the board down and then boom that was it,” Montgomery said.
Traynor, who is a doctor, jumped into action and began administering CPR— what the couple calls their “first kiss.”
“I checked for a pulse and I didn’t feel a pulse,” Traynor said. “I just, I thought he was dead. CPR kept his brain alive so that he could be who he has always been.”
EMTs shocked Montgomery six times before his heart started beating again, and Montgomery said he would not be here if it weren’t for Traynor.
“That first kiss being CPR was obviously very magical because here I am and I’m very grateful that I’m able to experience further kisses,” Montgomery said.
The couple is now sharing their story in the hopes that more people will learn CPR.
“I got the opportunity to share life with him and it doesn’t seem awkward or anything that was our first kiss,” Traynor said. “We want to empower people to do a lot of things but especially to know they have the power to save a life, too.”
The incident was captured on camera by a nearby photographer. Watch the video below.