ST. GEORGE, Utah — A member of the St. George City Council is celebrating a year of life after it was almost lost, and is lobbying for more people to learn the life-saving CPR techniques that saved her.

“We were in Ibigawa, Japan. I was there with our city delegation that runs once a year,” said St. George City Councilwoman Dannielle Larkin. “My husband and I decided we were going to run the marathon. The guns went off and we started running. And about two miles in, I collapsed.”

What happened next was a plot for Larkin. She only remembers waking up in the hospital and wondering why her breasts hurt.

“What I’ve been told happened after I collapsed is a doctor was right behind me and a couple of other women who were CPR certified and they immediately started doing CPR on me,” Larkin said.

That doctor saved her life, Now with a pacemaker and defibrillator in her body, Larkin says she was lucky but also believes luck is due to someone nearby knowing CPR. Now she’s championing efforts to get more people to learn the life-saving skill as well as more access to AED defibrillator units.

“Because we were in Japan, they have AEDs everywhere. Almost every light pole you see has an AED on it,” Larkin says. “I was lucky because you have to get CPR done relatively quickly after you collapse from cardiac arrest.”

In fact, the American Heart Association says there is only a 10% chance of surviving a cardiac arrest alone, as immediate CPR and access to a defibrillator are critical to survival.

And contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a certification to learn CPR, according to Benjamin Donner, who leads central and southern Utah for the American Red Cross.

“There are so many great, even virtual, options to learn it and to be able to, but not necessarily, have to be in person,” Donner said. “

Donner says it’s time to learn the CPR skills that could save the life of a city council member or a loved one.

“Don’t think about it and go, yes, one day I will do it. Act on it, he said. ” at the moment we are asked to act, the time to prepare has already passed.