Girl, Friend Save Mom With CPR Learned on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

A mother of three from Sheboygan, Wis., credits her 10-year-old daughter, her daughter’s friend and “Grey’s Anatomy” with saving her life.


When 36-year-old Kandace Seyferth collapsed from a severe asthma attack Nov. 25, her daughter Madisyn knew exactly what to do. She quickly dialed 911 and started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while her friend, 12-year-old Katelynn Vreeke, performed chest compressions.


Where did these young girls learn how to give lifesaving CPR? From watching ABC’s medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” Seyferth said. “We’ve watched it every week for the past eight years,” Seyferth told ABCNews.com. ”When my fiance asked her how she knew what to do, she said, ‘I’ve seen it on there 100 times.’”


Paramedics arrived four minutes later and took Seyferth to a nearby hospital.


“The paramedics saw them doing it, and they were just floored,” said Seyferth. “They’ve never taken classes; they just did what they saw. It’s amazing.”


Seyferth, who also has two sons, one 13 years old and the other 17 months old, said she was shocked by the young girls’ quick and calm response.


“My mind’s just blown,” she said. “Most adults I know would panic. They kept calm.”


Fire chief Jeff Hermann said the outcome could have been different had the girls not started CPR.


“These kids did what they were supposed to do, and they should be commended for the speed of their actions as well as the actions themselves,” Hermann told the Sheboygan Press.


Seyferth developed asthma symptoms after battling severe pneumonia last year.


“I’ve never felt the same since,” she said, describing the infection that landed her in intensive care for 21 days.


Seyferth carries an albuterol inhaler at all times. But they day she collapsed, it didn’t work. She’s visiting a pulmonologist Tuesday for lung testing, and hopes to get some answers.


In the meantime, Seyferth said the incident strengthened the already strong bond between her and her daughter.


“She’s getting an extra-special Christmas present this year,” she said. “If they weren’t around, I don’t know what would have happened. I wouldn’t be here, that’s for sure.”