Middlesex London Paramedic Service hosted its annual Cardiac Arrest Survivor Day Thursday. It brought together survivors of cardiac arrest and the first-responders who helped save their lives. Among the survivors was little Ollie Danko-Cassidy. She was just two years old when in the summer of 2025 she fell into a pool and had to be revived. On this day she appeared happy, healthy and found time to play with one of the first responders who helped save her. “I’m grateful that my daughter survived. I don’t know what I would do without her in my life. She honestly is everything to me. She’s given me purpose in life. And she’s honestly the sweetest little girl you’d ever meet,” said Ollie’s mother, Adrijana Danko. London Police Const. Evan Harrison was the first on the scene that day. “I have kids of my own, so I know how precious they are, and how precious life is. So, it was really important to me to respond to that call and make sure I did the best that I could,” he said. Also among the survivors, retired teacher Susan Balmain, who went into cardiac arrest while working at a local high school. A co-worker and student performed CPR before paramedics arrived to take over. “I am eternally grateful and my family is eternally grateful. And I’m so glad to have this opportunity where you can meet the survivors,” she explained. “My father was a first responder, and that does not often happen.” It was the first time since the incident that Balmain had a chance to meet the paramedics who responded, including primary care paramedic, Patty Sinn. “The school was great. Everybody that was there was very helpful. Everybody was worried. We all worked along together as a great team,” she said. “Pretty surreal feeling right now,” added paramedic Kristen Faragher. “Definitely very grateful to be a part of it. Just to have that closure.” According to Middlesex London Paramedic Service, paramedics responded to 468 ‘vital signs absent’ calls in 2025. They were able to restore a pulse in 135 of those calls. Public Education Coordinator Samantha Vollick-Quinlan says seconds matter. “Seconds definitely count. Bystander CPR. Bystander public access defibrillator use actually have a huge increase the chance of survival,” she said.
