The American Heart Association has launched a new storytelling initiative, the Nation of Lifesavers, featuring five compelling real-life CPR stories to mark CPR & AED Awareness Week. The initiative aims to double the sudden cardiac arrest survival rate by 2030, addressing a critical public health issue: 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital die, often because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half the time.
The five survivors and rescuers comprise the inaugural Nation of Lifesavers Class. Over a one-year term, they will share their personal stories through traditional and digital media, advocate for public policies that improve the chain of survival, and lead volunteer CPR training opportunities. The stories were selected from dozens of videos submitted by real survivors and everyday rescuers across the country.
“Nearly 2 out of 3 people believe only those with special training should perform CPR, a mistaken belief that costs lives,” said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association. “To kick off CPR & AED Awareness Week, the American Heart Association is highlighting these powerful stories and working to change the idea of CPR as a medical skill to a shared human responsibility. Everyone should know that the power to save a life is in your hands.”
The 2026 members include: Philicia Baugh (49, Charleston, S.C.), who performed chest compressions on a loved one during a family trip; Kristen Walenga (52, Chicago, Ill.), whose four children saved her after she collapsed, including son Eddie who learned CPR in school; Matthew Lynch (32, Cinnaminson, N.J.), who performed CPR on an unresponsive driver while stuck in traffic; Edward Marsh (59, Houston, Texas), who survived after strangers and a friend performed CPR on the dance floor; and Wallis Marsh (59, Houston, Texas), Edward’s twin, who used CPR skills to save a friend after surviving his own heart attack.
Immediate CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use can double or triple the chance of survival from sudden cardiac arrest. Yet less than half of people experiencing cardiac arrest receive help from a bystander. Medical credentials are not required; anyone can perform Hands-Only CPR by calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.
The Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative aims to turn bystanders into lifesavers. The long-term goal is to ensure that in a cardiac emergency, anyone, anywhere, is prepared to perform CPR. The public can join by learning CPR and submitting their own CPR story here. Walgreens is a proud national sponsor of Nation of Lifesavers.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 8 in 10 U.S. adults are confident in the organization to provide trustworthy public health information, ranking second only to personal health care providers in a recent Annenberg Policy Center poll.
