Saanich nurse honoured after lifesaving CPR stops friend’s cardiac arrest during workout

Prompt CPR and an AED brought a Saanich woman back from cardiac arrest

A routine high-intensity training session in Saanich turned into a life-or-death situation last September when 34-year-old mother of three Skye Maynard collapsed mid-run and went into cardiac arrest. Immediate action by a friend and fellow nurse, Lara Kesteloo, helped keep Maynard alive until paramedics arrived with an automated external defibrillator (AED).

The incident occurred on Sept. 14, 2024, during a sprint section of a group workout outside BPM Fitness Centre, located a block from the B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) headquarters in Saanich. Maynard said she began to feel unwell as she was running.

"I started to feel out of breath, like I couldn’t catch my breath,"

Maynard told reporters she stopped running, lost peripheral vision and has no memory of the moments that followed until waking up in hospital.

Immediate response, then formal recognition

Witnesses say Kesteloo — a former emergency room nurse — immediately took command of the scene. She instructed others to call 911, established a safe working area, positioned Maynard for effective chest compressions and commenced cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Primary care paramedic Noel Morton later commended Kesteloo’s actions, presenting her with a BCEHS commendation letter and a challenge coin. "Lara did everything right at that point," Morton said.

Paramedics arrived with an AED and delivered a single shock that restored Maynard’s heartbeat. That timely combination of bystander CPR and defibrillation is widely recognised by emergency medical services as the most effective early treatment for sudden cardiac arrest outside hospital walls.

What happened afterward

Maynard spent time in hospital recovering from the cardiac arrest. Kesteloo said even with her emergency-care background, the experience was different from working in an emergency room, where she would normally have a team and full resources at hand.

After the event, Kesteloo took part in a debrief with paramedics and was connected with mental-health supports. She said it took several days to process the event and to manage the lingering anxiety that followed.

• Date: Sept. 14, 2024 — lunchtime workout outside BPM Fitness Centre, Saanich
• Victim: Skye Maynard — collapsed, had a seizure and went into cardiac arrest
• Responder: Lara Kesteloo — former ER nurse; provided bystander CPR
• EMS response: Paramedics arrived with an AED; one shock restored heart rhythm

Local implications and reminders

The incident highlights several practical public-health points for Saanich residents. First, sudden cardiac arrest can occur in otherwise healthy-appearing adults; rapid recognition and response are critical. Second, bystander CPR and access to AEDs in public spaces significantly improve survival odds.

BCEHS has increasingly promoted public education about CPR and AED use; this case reinforces the value of those programs in neighbourhoods and at fitness facilities. Fitness centres, workplaces and community hubs are being urged to ensure staff and regular patrons know where AEDs are located and how to use them.

Community and human dimensions

For Maynard, a mother of three, the event was sudden and terrifying. For Kesteloo, the experience was an acute test of professional training outside a controlled environment. For Saanich the near-tragedy serves as a reminder of the difference prompt, trained action can make in an emergency.

Both women’s accounts underline that survival often hinges on people nearby willing and able to act. The recognition from BCEHS aims not only to honour an individual responder but to encourage others in the community to prepare for similar situations.

For residents and community groups, the takeaway is clear: learning CPR, supporting AED availability and staying calm in an emergency can be the difference between life and death.