“It’s important to me to have a voice for so many who wish they had had someone to step up to the plate and save a life. Everyone can do it. It just takes two hands.”
View full article on page 82: DELRAY Magazine January/February 2024 by JES Media - Issuu
Four years ago, Edward Kosiec's life changed forever. The day started out normally for him. He ran ten miles to train for a marathon, went to a yoga class and stopped by Chick-Fil-A for lunch, when all of a sudden, he went into cardiac arrest.
A high school senior who happened to be trained in CPR was also in the restaurant at the time and helped revive and ultimately save Kosiec's life.
"If it wasn’t for her, I would not be here today," he said.
That's why he started, Every Second Counts CPR, to raise awareness and train everyday citizens on how to perform CPR.
"I am here today because somebody cared," he explained, "because that one loved one, seventy to eighty percent of the time is going to be somebody in your family. So please, I beg you to please learn CPR."
Kosiec and several other organizations, including the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, spent Saturday on the National Mall in hopes of reaching a wider audience of weekend tourist foot traffic. They asked individuals walking around to take five minutes out of their day to learn how to perform CPR and operate an AED.
Read the full story here: Cardiac survivors teach CPR at National Mall in DC | wusa9.com
A fast-acting Boynton Beach High School student saved Ed Kosiec's life inside a Chick-fil-A restaurant two years ago.
Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that requires school districts to teach basic CPR training to its students. The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously and received DeSantis' signature thanks, in part, to testimony from Kosiec, 51, and his then-18-year-old lifesaver, Sarah Van Roekel.
Read the full story here: Boynton Beach man pushed for law requring CPR instruction in schools (palmbeachpost.com)
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed the First Aid Training in Public Schools bill into law, which aims to help teenagers save lives.
The law requires Florida school districts to give students training in CPR and also show them how to use automated external defibrillator if the school district has the necessary equipment.
Schools will be required to teach a one-hour course in ninth and 11th grades and also encouraged to start in sixth grade and eighth grade, if possible.
A South Florida man helped make the law become reality.
Ed Kosiec went into cardiac arrest at a Boynton Beach restaurant two years ago and said a teenager helped save his life with CPR until first responders arrived. His nonprofit organization worked with lawmakers to get the bill passed.
The law takes effect on July 1. Read it here.
Source: New Florida law requires school districts to teach students CPR (wptv.com)
Fast forward to July 2019 Kosiec got his certification to teach CPR classes and started his nonprofit called Every Second Counts CPR.
The nonprofit offers CPR classes to organizations and people of all ages. His goal is to make sure there are more people out there like Sarah who have the training to save lives. He also wants to be a voice for others who weren’t as fortunate as him.
“That person could be your father, your mother, your brother, your sister and so we have to get that education out there that it’s ok to help that person and you’re not going to hurt them because you can’t hurt somebody who died on the floor,” Kosiec said.
It’s a cause he’s taken all the way to the state capital. Kosiec is hoping to pass a bill that would make it mandatory for high school students to learn CPR before they graduate. It would also require heart screenings for student athletes.
Read the full story here: HOMETOWN HEROES: Boynton Beach man raising awareness about the need for CPR training | WPEC (cbs12.com)
A Boynton Beach man who was saved two years ago by a Chick-fil-A employee is now on a mission to save other lives.
Ed Kosiec went into cardiac arrest, but a high school student working that day helped save his life by performing CPR until Boynton Beach Fire Rescue personnel arrived.
Kosiec now wants all Florida high school students to learn CPR before they graduate.
"If a kid graduates high school and knows CPR skills, now we have an army of lifesavers every year coming out of our school system," Kosiec said.
His nonprofit is working with local lawmakers to make this a new law through Senate Bill 280 and House Bill 157.
Read the full story here: Boynton man wants all Fla. high school students to learn CPR (wptv.com)
A senior at Boynton Beach High School is being credited for helping to save a man's life. 18-year-old Sarah Van Roekel, who works part-time at Chick-fil-A, was the only one in the restaurant who knew CPR and performed it on Ed Kosiec until paramedics arrived. Click here to watch the video produced by the School District of Palm Beach County.
Sarah Van Roekel was honored for her good deed at the City Commissioners meeting in Boynton Beach. Click here to watch the news coverage from WPTV News | West Palm Beach Florida
An 18-year-old Chick-fil-A worker is being credited with saving a man’s life at a Boynton Beach restaurant. Boynton Beach High School senior Sarah VanRoekel saw Ed Kosiec go into cardiac arrest while she was working. VanRoekel jumped right in and started performing CPR on Kosiec. Click here to watch the news coverage on WPTV | News West Palm Beach Florida.
An 18-year-old Chick-fil-A worker is being credited with saving a man’s life at a Boynton Beach restaurant. Boynton Beach High School senior Sarah VanRoekel saw Ed Kosiec go into cardiac arrest while she was working. VanRoekel jumped right in and started performing CPR on Kosiec. Click here to watch the news coverage on WPTV News | West Palm Beach Florida.
