I was visiting my mom and stepfather at their home in Green Valley, south of Tucson. It was a Saturday morning and Mom was at the kitchen counter, stirring ingredients for muffins while Paul and I sat at the table reading the newspaper.

I heard something clatter to the floor and looked up in time to watch, stunned, as my mother’s legs collapsed beneath her and she fell backward, her head slamming to the ceramic tiles with a sickening thud. Paul and I leapt from our chairs to join her on the floor. My mother was breathing and conscious, but dazed. Her voice was shaky and her words sounded like they were coming from far away.

Paul called 911 while I sat beside my mother, cradling her head in my hands and thinking, “Not now. Not now!”

When the paramedics arrived, Mom asked for a blanket. Then she apologized to me for messing up our shopping date. As she joked with the paramedics, I started to relax, realizing this was not going to be a life-threatening episode. Later, we found out she had probably fainted because of a heart rhythm abnormality that is now being treated with medication.

When I finally got back to my newspaper that day, I read my mother’s horoscope. It said, “The best intentions could fall to the wayside.” We never made it shopping, of course, so we laughed about the prediction’s uncanny accuracy.

But it made me think about how hopelessly unprepared I would have been if my mom hadn’t been breathing. I’ve taken certification courses for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation twice in my adult life but the last time was when my children were small and I was worried about childhood drowning. If something happened now, would I know what to do until a medical team arrived?

I’ve often thought about going through recertification but the time commitment required is daunting and my “best intentions” keep falling to the wayside. Which is why I was so excited to learn about the American Heart Association’s new CPR Anytime personal learning program. With a 22-minute DVD and a “Mini Anne” manikin to practice with, any parent—and almost any child—can learn enough about CPR to make a life-or-death difference in the event of an emergency.

I asked frequent contributor Evelyn Hendrix to try the program at home with her 12-year-old son Logan. She shares her experience—and a harrowing personal story—in this month’s magazine. She also explains the AHA’s efforts to bring this training to every seventh grader in Maricopa County and describes an event we as a company are supporting on Saturday, Oct. 10.

“CPR Saturday” is a chance for your family to tour hands-on exhibits at Halle Heart Center in Tempe and participate in the 22-minute CPR Anytime program. When you leave, you will keep a kit that will help you practice CPR at home—and train other family members and friends. The event requires a $34.95 commitment (which goes directly to the cost of the kit) and 22 minutes of focused concentration during the training. You will leave with the ability to save a life. Isn’t that worth it?

Learn more

• Read our story, "CPR for Anytime, Anywhere and Anybody."
• Watch the 12News version of our story.