As the pool director at a local aquatic center for the past seven years, Julien Morel has come to expect quiet evenings watching swimmers train for events. Bernard Marie, an executive in a factory located in Puy en Valey, a small town in the Rhône Alps, had similar expectations as he attended his weekly swim training one evening when Julien was on duty. A seasoned athlete, Bernard hikes, jogs, and swims regularly. Unfortunately, neither Julien nor Bernard had the night they were expecting.
Approximately 30 minutes into his warm-up laps, Bernard recalls feeling dizzy. Another swimmer spotted Bernard struggling to hold onto the lane line, helped him to the edge of the pool, and called for help. Julien helped her lift Bernard out of the pool and onto the deck, where he immediately lost consciousness.
“Bernard was all red, then purple, [and then] his skin turned gray. We knew we had to give him compressions.”
— Julien Morel
Pool director at Club Agglo le Puy en Velay Natation
Fast off the block
Julien and his colleagues quickly jumped into action. Julien began CPR while someone else called emergency services and retrieved the automated external defibrillator (AED). "Bernard was all red, then purple, [and then] his skin turned gray. We knew we had to give him compressions," Julien recalls.
Emergency services arrived and transported Bernard to the local hospital where he learned he had suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). He was hospitalized for several weeks and required stents implanted in his coronary arteries. Bernard was deeply moved by Julien's visit during his recuperation in the hospital. He realized that if Julien and his colleagues hadn't responded quickly with CPR and an AED, the outcome could have been very different.
A new training goal
Three months after his release, Bernard was back to work and had even resumed swim training. The SCA event was life-changing for Bernard, Julien, and everyone involved. Bernard is grateful for all that his rescuers did to save him and that the swim club was equipped with a ZOLL AED Plus. He's nearing retirement age and plans to take lifesaving CPR and AED training himself, so he's prepared to help others in the same way those at the pool helped him that day.