On June 5th, after lunch at Nonna’s house, Nicholas’ father George collapsed suddenly from a cardiac arrest while helping with clean-up. Nicholas, remarkably composed, called 000, followed the DRSABCD action plan, and performed uninterrupted CPR for over 10 minutes. Despite seeing his father turn blue and become unresponsive, Nicholas continued his life-saving efforts until first responders arrived. “I was panicking, but putting my head and my mental space aside for a second, allowed me to think – this is what I need to do, right? I need to do this for however long until the first responders get here. That’s my job, that’s my role.” explained Nicholas. 

The initial response from the fire brigade showing up was confusing, but Fire Rescue Victoria are the first responders on scene in most sudden cardiac arrests and are there to help, fully trained and equipped as the first responders. Nicholas remained focused, delivering CPR with relentless determination, even as he heard and felt his father's ribs cracking. “It was just interesting that when Nicholas did crack the ribs, he didn’t stop. He didn’t straight away pull back or anything. He just kept going, he didn’t stop until the first responders came.” said Trish Kabiotis, Nicholas’ mum. 

Once the paramedics and additional emergency teams arrived, they took over with defibrillation and advanced care. George, who has undergone heart surgery and had an internal defibrillator placed, has since made a full recovery and is now back home. He and his family are deeply grateful for Nicholas’ fast and effective intervention, which not only saved his life but prevented severe brain or organ damage. 

Nicholas’ actions, performed shortly after completing his CPR training with St John during his year 12 exams, were praised by the medical team for their precision and courage. “Taking the course with St John just helped me be prepared for that moment. And to know that training is available, and that 8-hour day has given me years more with my dad, is 100%-time investment – best 8 hours I have ever spent.” said Nicholas.  

Nicholas was amongst the other 13 First Aid Champions 2024 and was joined by his proud family at the State Library to receive his award at the event held on August 20th. The story also featured in the Herald Sun here  

The experience has strengthened their family bond and highlighted the crucial impact of CPR training in emergency situations. 

Watch Nicholas' story on the link below: