Regina woman thankful for two Good Samaritans who gave CPR

Mary Bernhardt was driving in north Regina last month when she noticed her husband Leo was turning blue and struggling to breathe. Soon, he started to pass out.

She pulled over at Pasqua Street and Pasqua Gate and dialed 911. Then she and her 11-year-old grandson pulled Leo out of their truck and onto the ground.

Two men stopped and took turns giving CPR to the 68-year-old man until help arrived. As EMS workers attended to Leo, Mary said he lost consciousness several times.

“They hooked him up to this machine that does the CPR for them and they kept paddling him to bring him back because he kept passing out or his heart kept stopping. They finally got him stable so they could put him in the ambulance,” she said.

“I thought he was gone. I was trying to keep my grandchildren calm at the same time … when their grandfather’s stiffening out in the vehicle and turning purple.”

It’s not Leo’s first health scare. Mary said he had to be resuscitated after a heart attack at age 39.

Mary said Leo has a long recovery ahead, as he’s still too weak to do much of anything outside of his bed.

“I’m hoping he makes a full recovery and goes back to being himself because he’s always joking and happy. Right now he just sits and doesn’t say too much,” she said.

She credits the first two Good Samaritans with saving Leo’s life and plans to thank them in person.

“I (wish) there was more people like them in the world that would help people instead of fighting,” she said. “There are no words to describe how grateful I am to those two gentlemen. And there was one gentleman who said he was praying for us.”

There is something Bernhardt wants people to take away from her story — that there are some pretty good people in Regina and the world.

“People could be very grateful that somebody would stop and help you. Don’t always think the worst of people,” she said. “I think people need to know that. Don’t get the wrong impression when you first see somebody.”