Dad’s miracle survival at the hands of teen son
September 30, 2024in News, Shocktober 2024
An Elwood teenager is being heralded a hero after saving his dad’s life not once, but twice.
In the past year and a half, Mark Merton, 60, has suffered two cardiac arrests, and his son Kip, 16, has performed lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on both occasions.
The amazing story shows that anyone can help save a life, as Ambulance Victoria (AV) kicks off its annual Shocktober campaign to highlight the importance of bystander CPR and defibrillation in cardiac arrest survival.
L-R: AV paramedics Emerick Giddings and Erin Sundermann, Kendyn Brown, Emma, Kip (back) and Mark Merton, and AV paramedic Josh Trpenovski.
The most recent medical emergency occurred at the family’s home on 29 July, when Kip heard his dad collapse.
Because it’d happened before, Kip immediately knew what was wrong and began giving his father CPR.
“I was with Kendyn, who is staying with my family as a host family, and I asked him to call Triple Zero (000) while I started compressions,” he said.
Kip said it was very emotional, particularly given his dad had suffered a cardiac arrest and multiple heart attacks before.
“My dad has since said he thought it wouldn’t happen again, and so did I,” Kip said.
“For dad to have survived, it means everything.
“We spend a lot of time together, he helps me with sport and we connect on film, music, everything really – we’re very similar with our hobbies and passions.”
AV Paramedic Josh Trpenovski, one of four paramedics who rushed to the scene, said Kip’s quick and confident action made all the difference.
“In cardiac arrest cases, for every minute CPR is delayed, survival decreases by 10 per cent,” he said.
“Kip’s confidence to immediately begin CPR gave his dad every chance of making the fantastic recovery he has.
“To have stepped up in this way twice for his dad is nothing short of incredible.”
The Merton family has reunited with some of the paramedics and a Triple Zero Victoria call-taker who helped save Mark’s life.
Mark said it meant a lot to be able to thank everyone who played a part in saving him.
“The physical recovery the second time around has been quicker, but the emotional recovery has been much tougher,” he said.
“After the first cardiac arrest, I’d been doing everything right to prevent another one by exercising and being healthy, and there were no warning signs before it happened again.
“It was fantastic to meet the paramedics and the call-taker who guided Kip through what to do, and just say thank you for saving my life.”
Triple Zero Victoria Call-Taker Lauren Johnson said meeting Mark and Kip was something she would cherish forever.
“Putting faces to the voices on the other end of the Triple Zero line is an incredible experience and I am so proud of Kip for his quick thinking to immediately call 000, when he knew his dad Mark needed urgent help,” she said.
“In what would have been one of the worst days for him, Kip calmly followed my instructions for CPR which gave his dad the best chance of survival.”
Every day, around 21 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest and only one in 10 survive.
Last year, AV paramedics responded to a record 7,830 cardiac arrest patients – an increase of 6.4 per cent on the previous year.
Now in its fifth year, Shocktober calls on community members to learn the three simple steps to save a life: Call (call Triple Zero 000), Push (perform CPR), Shock (use an automated external defibrillator (AED) if available).
Bystander intervention has the greatest impact on improving someone’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest – when a patient receives CPR and a shock from an AED before paramedics arrive, their chance of survival more than doubles.
This October, AV is also calling on Victorians to step up for their communities and sign up as a GoodSAM responder.
GoodSAM is a life-saving smartphone app that connects Victorians in cardiac arrest with members of the community who are willing to start CPR in the critical minutes before paramedics arrive.
“You don’t have to be first-aid qualified or have a medical background, you just need to be willing and able to do hands-only CPR, be over 18 years of age and have access to a smartphone,” Josh said.
“More than 66 lives have been saved thanks to GoodSAM Responders.
“There are currently more than 16,000 GoodSAM Responders registered across the state, but we need more.”
Shocktober is a month-long campaign to highlight the importance of learning CPR and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).