72-year-old woman used skills learned in free training to revive her husband after cardiac emergency

Organ Mountain News report

DOÑA ANA COUNTY - A free CPR training class hosted by Doña Ana County is being credited with saving the life of a local man after he collapsed at home last summer.

Christine Telles, 72, used skills she learned during the county’s “Save a Life Saturday” event to perform CPR on her husband, Sal, 73, after he became unresponsive and stopped breathing.

Telles called 911 and told dispatchers her husband had no pulse. When asked if she knew how to perform CPR, she said yes and began chest compressions.

“[The dispatcher] was instructing me on what to do, but I could hear [the Save a Life Saturday instructor’s] voice in the background telling me what to do,” Telles said. “He started to respond, and that’s when I realized we’re on the right track.”

Telles performed CPR for about five minutes until Doña Ana Fire Rescue crews arrived. Her husband was transported to a local hospital, where he made a full recovery.

Telles said the training gave her the confidence to act in a life-threatening situation.

“A two-hour class can have your husband’s life, your kid’s life or someone else’s life,” she said.

Doña Ana County Deputy Emergency Manager Joy Chavez said the outcome reflects the purpose of the program.

“To hear Christine share her experience was incredibly emotional,” Chavez said. “This is exactly the impact we hope for, that someone is able to use this training to save a life.”

“Save a Life Saturday” is a free annual event held each February during American Heart Month. The program teaches hands-only CPR at community resource centers across Doña Ana County.

The event is organized by the county’s Office of Emergency Management with support from Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, the American Red Cross, the City of Las Cruces and the City of Sunland Park.