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Chantel Johnston

Date:
By Greg Piper
Category: Local Legends

It's no secret Lake Macquarie is in dire need of more health care professionals and facilities, that's why it's so good to hear when residents are able to respond to a call for help during a medical emergency. 23-year-old Chantel Johnston from Bonnells Bay was getting ready for work at Dominos Pizza in Morisset, when the NSW Ambulance App GoodSAM alerted her to a cardiac arrest occurring nearby. Without hesitation, Chantel raced to the scene and began administering CPR. Chantel is a trained first aid officer and worked unaided on the woman for 15 minutes, before a police officer arrived to help. It took another 15 minutes for paramedics to arrive from Toronto Ambulance station. Unfortunately, in this case the woman did not survive, but I have no doubt that Chantel's presence and perseverance in applying CPR provided some measure of comfort to her family members. While Chantel was 45 minutes late to work and physically exhausted, she still turned up to complete the rest of her shift. I thank Chantel for being such a wonderful community member and someone people can count on in times of crisis.