CPR Saves Lives the message of American Heart Association and Union Bank Rose Parade float Keep the Beat Alive

CPR Saves Lives the message of American Heart Association and Union Bank Rose Parade float Keep the Beat Alive
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CPR Saves Lives – that is the message that the American Heart Association and its longtime supporter, Union Bank, aim to convey through its joint float in the 2017 Rose Parade.

Aptly named Keep the Beat Alive, the float will feature teens who saved lives by performing CPR, as well as the people they saved, and celebrates the passage of a new California law that will provide CPR training to more than 200,000 high school students each year. Thirty-four other states have passed laws or adopted curriculum changes to require hands-on, guidelines-based CPR training to graduate high school.

The float riders represent three Western states and range in age from 11 to 75 years. They will stand on the float’s 55-foot long floral piano keyboard and among its four eight-foot tall floral drums and a nine-foot heart-shaped DJ booth. The musical elements represent the beat of the heart and the correct compression rate for CPR administration – a rhythm of 100 beats per minute.

The 15 CPR heroes riding on the float include:

Darian and Eunique Latchison, ages 16 and 12; Irene Sample, age 75, Bakersfield, Calif. Darian Latchison was desperate to save the life of the woman who rescued him from homelessness and took in his sister at birth. Irene Sample collapsed after walking home in 107-degree heat. Darian’s sister Eunique called 911 while Darian performed chest compressions. “I kept thinking ‘No, you’re not going yet. You have to see me graduate high school,’” Darian said. Irene, who was required as a licensed foster parent to maintain a CPR certification, had brought Darian and Eunique along to her CPR training.

Daniel and Jonathan Tyshler, ages 13 and 11; Boris 69, Seattle. Daniel and Jonathan Tyshler were enjoying their vacation in Southern California when their grandfather collapsed while driving on the 405 freeway. Jonathan moved his grandfather’s head to ensure blood flow while Daniel called 911 and began the compressions he had learned the previous semester in school. CPR was critical – Boris was without a pulse for 14 minutes.

Nathan Boyer, age 14; and Issac Wenrich, age 27, Chandler, Ariz. Making new friends after his family moved across country was tough for Nathan Boyer, but his baseball coach was always there to give him a pep talk or make him laugh. In March 2016, Nathan and coach Isaac Wenrich were practicing baseball drills when Isaac suddenly slumped to the ground. Nathan began CPR, which he learned as a Boy Scout, and passed Isaac’s phone to a bystander to call 911.

Steve and Lewis Griffith, 66 and 15, Forestville, Calif. (Sonoma County) Lewis Griffith was watching TV when he heard a crash and found his father on the floor. Calling to his mom to dial 911, Lewis took his father’s pulse and, to his mother’s amazement, knew just what to do. Lewis had received CPR training in school three months earlier – he began CPR and continued for five minutes until paramedics arrived to relieve him.

Madi Giese, age 17, Manhattan Beach, Calif. As a young girl collapsed on the tennis court, dozens of onlookers called 911 but seemed frozen in shock. Madi Giese rushed to the girl’s side, performing a dozen chest compressions before the girl coughed and took a breath. Madi had learned CPR through the Junior Lifeguard Program. “Because of my CPR training, I had the confidence to act. I was determined to save her life,” Madi said.

Skylar Berry, age 13, Rio Linda, Calif.When a classmate was pulled from a swimming pool – unresponsive – Skylar Berry went right to work administering CPR, continuing chest compressions for five minutes until an adult could take over. Skylar, then 11, had learned hands-only CPR just three months earlier. A week after the incident, she founded a CPR club at her school to teach others the life-saving skill.

Celine Showman, age 42, Oceanside, Calif. Celine Showman still can’t remember the night she took her then eight-year-old daughter Megan out to a sushi restaurant. As her mother slumped off her stool, Megan started her mom’s “chain of survival” by calling for help. Three Navy Corpsmen from Camp Pendleton appeared – one took Megan away while the others began CPR. The woman and two men had just returned from a deployment in Iraq.

Melissa Ziebell, age 35, Pasadena, Calif. Nearing the finish line of the Paris Half Marathon, Melissa Ziebell was ready for her souvenir snapshot. The last thing she remembers was her legs giving out. Two young girls trained in CPR came to her aid. An avid athlete, Melissa was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and underwent open heart surgery. She still wonders what might have happened if she had suffered cardiac arrest while alone on a training run, rather than near volunteers who were trained in life-saving CPR.

Ilisa Juried, age 29, singer/actress/songwriter, Los Angeles. Ilisa Juried, who appeared on The CW’s reality show Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious, was in New York’s Grand Central Station when she saw a group of hip-hop dancers performing and joined in. A few moments later, she collapsed. She was only 18 at the time. Three bystanders started CPR, continuing for 30 minutes until paramedics arrived and shocked Juried’s heart back into a normal rhythm.

Inspired by the message of the Keep the Beat Alive float, Juried co-wrote a song “Live Your Life” that will be played on the float during the parade, along with several popular tunes with 100 beats per minute. A CPR dance team comprised of 28 students from Crenshaw High School and Abraham Lincoln High School will walk alongside the float and engage the audience with a CPR-inspired dance choreographed by Juried.

“We are so proud to call attention to these amazing teens and adults who saved a life or have been saved through CPR. The mission of our beautiful float is to spread the word to millions of people that CPR training saves lives,” said Pierre P. Habis, head of Union Bank Consumer Banking. “Everyone should learn CPR -- as you can see from these inspiring float riders, you never know when you might be called upon to save a life with CPR.”

“We encourage everyone to get CPR training -- it only takes a few minutes to learn hands-only CPR,” Kathy Rogers, Executive Vice President for the American Heart Association Western States Affiliate. “We are so thankful that Union Bank shares our mission to spread the message that CPR is easy to learn and so important. We hope the stories of these courageous teens and survivors will inspire others.”

This will be the second year the AHA is joining Union Bank in presenting a Rose Parade float. For three decades, Union Bank and the American Heart Association have united in the fight against heart disease and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers of both men and women. Union Bank has been engaged in multiple aspects of the AHA’s work, including fundraising, education, volunteer leadership, employee involvement and health messaging. In the last nine years alone, the bank’s employees and clients have donated more than $8.6 million in support of the AHA’s critical research, education, and prevention programs.

Tune in to the Rose Parade and watch for our Keep the Beat Alive float as it travels down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 2, 2017 (the Rose Parade, typically held on New Year’s Day, has a “Never on Sunday” tradition). The parade starts at 8 a.m. PT and will be broadcast live on several television stations around the country.

Follow our Keep the Beat Alive float on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest and share your posts with #CPRSavesLives.

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