Posted by When you know CPR, panic turns into purpose.
We had just landed in San José del Cabo to shoot a promo for Venture Up. My brother Miles and I were drying off under a palapa, still laughing about getting tossed by the riptide in the Sea of Cortez. Two men on horseback thundered toward us, shouting through a cloud of sand — “Doctor! Doctor!”
A man lay motionless on the beach. His family was frantic, taking turns with CPR. He had no pulse. No breath. I dropped to my knees and started compressions while Miles sprinted for my medic bag. I was six months out of my EMT certification at the University of Alaska — trained, but not seasoned. This was no classroom drill.
There was no AED in sight. When the resort EMTs arrived, their bag had less gear than mine. We kept going. I remembered the odds: one in a hundred for revival without a defibrillator. Still, you don’t stop.
After twenty minutes, his pulse flickered back. A faint heartbeat. We prayed it meant life. Paramedics rushed him to St. Luke’s Hospital. We never caught his last name — just John.
The next day, the hotel had no update. Privacy laws kept the hospital silent. Then a text came: John has full brain function and feeling in all extremities. He’s being flown home to Omaha. His family called me their “guardian angel.” That’s something you don’t forget.
Later, a hotel worker told us it was the fourth beach emergency that week. No AEDs. No warning signs. A thousand-dollar machine could have made that rescue faster, maybe easier.
That moment became more than a close call — it became a blueprint. I built Code Red, a Venture Up program where teams learn CPR and first response through realistic scenarios. By the end, they don’t just know how to save a life. They trust one another to stay calm when everything’s on the line.
Miles is now training for his own EMT certification. Our next goal: bring Code Red to beaches and workplaces worldwide — because teamwork doesn’t mean much if you can’t count on it when it matters most.
Venture Up (est.1983) is the original team building company, helping organizations build trust and collaboration through real-world experience.
© 2025 Venture Up Inc. | ventureup.com
