Montreal man in cardiac arrest saved thanks to CPR [Video]

It’s a connection two people will have for a lifetime.

Lawrence Cohen suffered a cardiac arrest in an ice cream parlour in Montreal’s NDG neighbourhood and was saved by Dr. Ilana Bank, who gave him CPR.

“She’s just like a guardian angel,” said Cohen. “I mean, if not for her, I wouldn’t be here now. I’m just lucky to be alive.”

Cohen and Bank are sharing their story in the hopes that more people will learn CPR.

Bank is an emergency physician at the Montreal Children’s Hospital and made a last-minute decision that day to grab a cone at the Diperie ice cream shop on Monkland Avenue.

During that brief time, one of the owners ran outside in a panic.

“She opened the door and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, you’re medical! Somebody just collapsed!'” said Bank.

Cohen was on the ground.

“[I] looked at him and I said, ‘Lawrence, what’s the matter?'” said Diperie …