CPR Success Stories: How Colorado Bystanders Saved Lives
Last Updated: February 19, 2026
Every statistic in cardiac arrest research represents a real person and a real story. These are Colorado stories where trained bystanders made the difference between life and death.
You could be the next person to save a life. Get CPR trained.
Craig Morroni - Cherry Hills Village, October 2023
Craig Morroni was cycling on the High Line Canal Trail when he collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest. Two strangers, Joyanne McShea and Seguin Guerrero, stopped and immediately began two-person CPR. They sustained compressions and rescue breaths until EMS arrived.
Morroni survived. He later called the two bystanders "walking angels" and acknowledged that the odds of his survival were statistically tiny. The difference was two people who knew CPR and did not hesitate.
Doug Schwartz - Edwards, Colorado, July 2021
Doug Schwartz, a restaurant owner, collapsed at Etown restaurant from sudden cardiac arrest. His girlfriend, an oncology nurse, immediately began CPR. A food runner who was also a ski patroller joined the effort.
A customer ran to retrieve an AED that had been placed on a nearby lamppost by Starting Hearts three years earlier. It had never been used before that night. Two AED shocks from the device plus a third from paramedics restarted his heart. Full recovery.
This story demonstrates the importance of both CPR training AND public AED access. The AED had sat on that lamppost for three years, unused, until the one night when it saved a life.
Where to find AEDs in Denver and how to use them.
Jordan Palomar - Fort Morgan, 2023
Twelve-year-old Jordan Palomar collapsed on his school playground from sudden cardiac arrest. The school nurse, a resource officer, and fellow students responded with CPR and used an on-site AED. Jordan was flown to Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, received an implanted heart rhythm device, and recovered to celebrate his 13th birthday.
This case illustrates that cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, regardless of age, and that schools with trained staff and accessible AEDs save young lives.
Mark Reynolds - Lone Tree, November 2022
Mark Reynolds collapsed at a VASA gym from cardiac arrest caused by the interaction of pre-workout supplements with prescription medication. Bystanders performed 8 minutes of CPR and delivered 3 AED shocks to restart his heart. Security camera footage of the rescue went viral on TikTok with over 4 million views.
Reynolds made a full recovery without brain damage. His case became one of the most-viewed CPR rescues in social media history.
Boulder Parks and Recreation - July 2021
A community member collapsed near the North Boulder Recreation Center. Staff performed CPR and delivered an AED shock, achieving return of spontaneous circulation before firefighters even arrived. The individual made a full recovery. Staff members received "Lifesaver Awards."
What These Stories Have in Common
In every case, the survival came down to immediate action by people who knew CPR. Not paramedics. Not doctors in an emergency room. Regular people who had been trained and did not hesitate.
CPR-Professionals trains people at our Denver and Boulder locations to be ready for exactly these moments.
