The American Heart Association has launched a new storytelling initiative, the Nation of Lifesavers, featuring five compelling real-life CPR stories to coincide with CPR & AED Awareness Week. The initiative aims to double the sudden cardiac arrest survival rate, addressing the alarming statistic that 9 out of 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, often because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time.
The five survivors and rescuers make up 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 chosen from dozens of videos submitted by real survivors and everyday rescuers nationwide.
“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 of the inaugural Nation of Lifesavers Class 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, including her son Eddie who learned CPR in school, saved her life after she collapsed; Matthew Lynch (32, Cinnaminson, N.J.), who performed CPR on an unresponsive driver in traffic; Edward Marsh (59, Houston, Texas), who was saved by strangers on a 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 a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. Yet less than half of victims receive bystander help. Medical credentials or formal training are not required; what matters is awareness, confidence, and the willingness to act. The Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative is committed to doubling the survival rate by 2030 by turning bystanders into lifesavers.
To learn Hands-Only CPR, which involves calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of “Stayin’ Alive,” visit heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR. Walgreens is a proud national sponsor of Nation of Lifesavers.
