Mother, daughter urge others to learn CPR after receiving award for saving toddler

When Siera Edstrand saw her little brother Gunnar face down and unresponsive in her family's backyard pool in North Vancouver, B.C., she knew what to do and took action.

The teenager pulled Gunnar from the water and immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), something she had learned in school.

"I thought he was going to die because he wasn't waking up," Siera said about incident in June 2021.

She yelled to her mother, Yesica Edstrand, who was inside their home, to call 911.

Edstrand then took over CPR from her daughter and by the time paramedics arrived, Gunnar was alert and crying after vomiting up pool water and breathing on his own.

"As soon as he woke up, it was, I can't even explain, I was so happy, because he's my little brother," said Siera, now 15, after she and her mom received an award from B.C. Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) on Saturday for her life-saving actions.

"I remember screaming at him, 'you're not going anywhere, not like this, I am not ready to let you go,' said Edstrand as she recalled working to resuscitate Gunnar, who the family calls DJ and is now four.

"And I am just looking at him now and I am grateful." 

Siera and Yesica Edstrand were presented with the Vital Link Award at a ceremony at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver by Laurence Darlington, the paramedic who attended the incident.

The award, which is given to citizens who save a life by using CPR, is "an excellent opportunity to educate the public about the positive impact bystander CPR and first aid can have on patient outcomes," BCEHS says.

'Every family member should know how'

Edstrand said she's thankful for the recognition from BCEHS and wants other families to know the importance of learning life-saving skills.

"That night Siera was the one that had to do it on DJ, so you never know. It doesn't matter the age, every family member should know how to do CPR," she said.

Since 2005, BCEHS has worked with the ACT Foundation to teach CPR at secondary schools throughout the province.

The Canadian Red Cross lists where CPR and first aid courses are offered across Canada. The Life Saving Society in B.C. also offers CPR and emergency first aid courses.