Quebec teens brought Naloxone to a party, just in case. Then they saved a girl's life
A teenage girl from Quebec's Eastern Townships survived an opioid overdose last month thanks to two of her classmates.
Highschoolers Samuel Vincent and Thomas Roberge were at the right place at the right time -- with the right equipment.
"At first I thought she was [a little too] drunk, and at a point she just blacked out, she didn't answer me at all, she didn't move at all, and her heart stopped working," Roberge recounted to CTV News. "At this moment, I called my best friend to go get some Naloxone."
The pair had decided to bring a Naloxone kit with them to a party, suspecting some people would be taking drugs.
"I got a voice in my head that said it might be drugs -- opioids, so fentanyl, codeine, heroin, morphine -- so I decided to not take a chance," Roberge said, referring to the moment he realized the girl was in serious danger.
The effect was immediate, with her heartbeat returning as the boys waited for an ambulance.
For Roberge, the biggest relief came in the middle of the night.
"At two o'clock in the morning I got a text that said 'thank you, because you saved my life.'"
So how does a 16-year-old become so prepared? It turns out Roberge and Vincent took a first aid elective at their high school in Granby, Collège Mont-Sacré-Coeur.
School staff praised the pair's quick action.
"If young people are better equipped to face situations like this, that's what we want," said the school's vice-principal, David Choinière.
Naloxone kits are widely available for free at drugstores across Canada. The instructions are straight forward, and use of the medication is now included in basic first-aid training.
With files from Véronique Dubé at Noovo Info.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
BREAKING Jury deliberations begin in Donald Trump's hush money criminal case
Jury deliberations began Wednesday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, putting the outcome of the historic case in the hands of a dozen New Yorkers who have vowed to be fair and impartial in the face of their unprecedented task.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
Canada announces $11B for military aircraft training
Canada has announced an $11.2-billion contract to improve training platforms for the military, including the purchase of 70 training aircraft for the Future Aircrew Training program.
CNN exclusive: A federal grand jury may soon hear from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers
Federal investigators are preparing to bring accusers of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs before a federal grand jury, two sources familiar with the probe tell CNN — signaling the U.S. Justice Department is moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of Combs.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.