The American Heart Association has launched a new initiative, the Nation of Lifesavers, featuring five compelling real-life CPR survival stories to kick off CPR & AED Awareness Week. The goal is to double the sudden cardiac arrest survival rate by 2030. According to the Association, 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, chosen from dozens of videos submitted nationwide, make up the inaugural Nation of Lifesavers Class. For 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.
“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 and senior vice president of women’s health and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health of Northwell Health in New York City. “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 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 and passenger stuck in traffic; Edward Marsh (59, Houston, Texas), saved by strangers and a friend on the dance floor; and Wallis Marsh (59, Houston, Texas), Edward’s twin, who learned CPR after his own heart attack and later saved his friend, former NFL player Jeff Tupper.
When someone’s heart stops, immediate CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use can double or even triple their chance of surviving. Yet less than half of people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest receive help from someone nearby. Medical credentials or formal training are not required to provide CPR; what matters is awareness, confidence, and the willingness to act. In a cardiac emergency, anyone can be the difference before professional help arrives. If a teen or adult collapses, call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help arrives, at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute, about the same tempo as the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.
The Association’s Nation of Lifesavers initiative is committed to doubling the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest by 2030 by turning a nation of bystanders into lifesavers. The long-term goal is to ensure that in the face of a cardiac emergency, anyone, anywhere, is prepared and empowered to perform CPR. Walgreens is a proud national sponsor of the initiative. To join the Nation of Lifesavers, learn CPR at heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR and submit your own CPR story here.
