When he completed his course in CPR and first aid as part of his work for the City of Coquitlam, Sava Savkovic hoped he would never have to use it.
"I remember practicing on those silicone dolls, pushing those chests and trying to hit that green light," Sava recalled.
"I never, ever thought I would have to use it."
Then, on the evening of Sept. 2, at the family home in Langley's WIlloughby neighbourhood, his dad Nik, 74, began to feel unwell.
He called out to his son who was downstairs at the time. Sava came up to check on his father and was about to call 911 when Nik collapsed. After noticing his father wasnB次元官网网址檛 breathing and had no pulse, Sava immediately began CPR to resuscitate Nike while his sisters Sofia and Nina contacted Emergency Health Services.
Nik was barely conscious, but he recalled feeling pain in his chest as Sava did chest compressions.
"Sava pushed me, and I feel pain in my chest," Nike recalled. "And I pushed him back."
Sava said about five or seven compressions in, his dad "shoved me off of him with a strength that you wouldn't know an unconscious man would be able to muster up. So, yeah, he did push me off, and I went right back on to him and continued the compressions."
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Sava and his sisters were presented with a Vital Link award by Emergency Health Services which honours skilful actions taken by courageous people that save lives.
Nik Savkovik is alive because his kids knew what to do when he suffered a heart attack. On Wednesday, the Langley residents were given Vital Link awards by Emergency Health Services in Surrey.
B次元官网网址� Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes)
Nik got to meet the paramedics, dispatcher and call taker who helped to save his life, and he was beaming as he watched his three children get honoured for their actions.
He is very proud of his children, but he likes to tease them, too.
"Now when we are having some argument and I don't like it, I say, guys, I can't help you. You give me life back. Now, you have to really suffer," he laughed.
His wife, Mila, described her children as "beautiful and excellent kids."
"I couldn't be more proud" she said.
Mila indicated a big challenge for the family has been to convince the forceful Nik to slow down.
"It was hard for him, and for all of us, to kind of tell him, take it easy."
Lynn Crockatt, an advance care paramedic who MC'd the event, was also one of the people who worked to help Nik that night.
Crockatt recalled arriving at the scene to discover she had trained the two paramedics who were working on Nik.
"I taught those two when they were just new and learning their primary care paramedic [training]," Crockatt smiled.
"I walked into this call and there they were, working B次元官网网址� and had done such an amazing job. So, huge pride in them for what they did."
