Perth teen saves grandfather

Dinner with her grandparents took a potentially catastrophic turn for 15-year-old Leanne Gwynne when her grandfather had a heart attack in September 2022. 

It was a casual Thursday night family dinner at her grandparents’ house when Leanne’s grandfather, Stephen, suddenly collapsed in the kitchen, hitting his head on the tiles as he fell.  

Despite not knowing what had happened initially, Leanne’s family jumped into action, with her mother calling an ambulance while Leanne and her father went to attend to her grandfather.  

While Leanne and her father were checking Stephen’s responsiveness, he experienced a seizure and stopped breathing. Leanne and her father began CPR which resulted in her grandfather regaining partial consciousness. 

“I was trying to stay calm because I was thinking we could still do something because he was still breathing, and then he stopped breathing. It was a moment I thought I wasn’t going to be able to talk to my Granddad again which is quite scary,” Leanne said. 

Leanne and her father continued to monitor and reassure Stephen until the ambulance arrived. He was taken to hospital where he made a full recovery. For her actions, Leanne received a Gold Medallion Bravery Award at the Royal Life Saving WA Bravery Awards. 

Leanne, who has been doing CPR training through the Swim and Survive curriculum in VacSwim since primary school and having also completed Royal Life Saving’s Under 18 First Aid course, believes that the training is incredibly important.  

“It’s been reinforced in me throughout my entire life, I almost forgot everything, but I still knew it all. The constant repetition every year and all the training was really, really helpful. Without it I wouldn’t have known what to do and I would have been so lost.” 

Stories like Leanne and Stephen’s highlight the benefits of training even for those of a young age.  

“It’s really scary but there’s lots of good help out there, so if you just try and stay as calm as you can and just work through everything you know. Just focus on what you know and what you can do; you can’t control everything so just do your best and that’s all you can do.” 

Ready to learn or refresh a lifesaving skill? Click the link below to book your CPR or First Aid course today.