Author Archives: Stephen Huffman

Lightening Strike Kills Boy; CPR Brings Him Back to Life

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He was technically dead.His heart had stopped beating.His clothes were burning. And two bystanders started CPR on the 12-year-old boy, saving his life.

Today, Ken Nilson is a firefighter in Bremerton, Washington.

“It was an experience that would profoundly change my life forever,” explains Nilson.

He makes it a point to teach young children ways they can help save lives with CPR. His mission is to help as many people as possible have the same chance he had.

After all, says Nilson,“they could be saving my life again.”

New Law Requires CPR Training in Illinois High Schools

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  • A new Illinois law requires high school students to receive CPR and defibrillator (AED) training before graduation. Inspired by families who lost children to on-campus cardiac emergencies, this legislation sets a precedent for other states. While students can opt out, the goal is to ensure every student understands how to respond in an emergency—potentially saving classmates, teachers, or family members.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn set a standard all states should emulate when he signed a bill requiring Illinois high school students to have mandatory CPR and defibrillator training.

The CPR bill was introduced to lawmakers by several families who had high school aged children that experienced cardiac emergencies while on campus.

The law allows students to opt out, but we believe everyone should know how to administer some form of CPR and how to operate a defibrillator.

As Governor Quinn put it, “ This common-sense law will make sure they are better prepared to help their classmates, teachers, family and friends in case of an emergency.”

Outreach Program Spotlight: Project ADAM

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  • Project ADAM is a national outreach program dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac arrest in schools and communities through CPR and AED training. Founded in memory of Michigan student Adam Lemel, the initiative has saved over 85 lives nationwide, proving that awareness and preparation truly save lives.

MJS Adam Lemel

Every once in a while, we like to shine a spotlight on a member or members of the community who make it their mission to educate people about CPR and AEDs. Today, we’d like to share a national outreach called Project ADAM.

Project ADAM was started in memorial of a Michigan high school student (Adam Lemel) who died of sudden cardiac arrest during a junior varsity basketball game. Following other similar deaths in the state, Adam’s family, friends, and other supporters got together to start Project ADAM hoping to reduce the amount of sudden cardiac arrest-related deaths.

The goal of Project ADAM is to provide proper training for CPR as well as training and awareness of the importance of AEDs. To date, Project ADAM has been credited with saving 85 lives, including 28 in Wisconsin — about 40% of them youths.

Though we regret the origins of this outreach, we are happy to know of its widespread success. Though young Adam didn’t survive sudden cardiac arrest, there are many lives that have been saved because of the awareness that Project ADAM brought to CPR and AEDs.