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	A quick-thinking &#39;Christmas elf&#39; has been hailed for saving the life on an elderly man on Christmas Eve after his heart stopped.</p>
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	St John&#39;s Ambulance volunteer Ciara O&#39;Callaghan (20) was working as in a card shop in Cork city centre, dressed festively as an elf, when she was called to assist the man who had taken ill nearby at around 2pm on Christmas Eve.</p>
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	She realised that his heart had stopped immediately started CPR. Ciara was also able to use a defibrillator which was located nearby.</p>
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	She continued CPR and gave the patient two shocks before the arrival of the paramedic crew.</p>
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	The man is now recovering well in hospital.</p>
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	&quot;Someone came in shouting to see if anyone knew CPR and I just ran out,&quot; she told Independent.ie.</p>
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	Ciara, who has been a volunteer with St John&#39;s since she was 17, said her training kicked in instantly.</p>
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	It was her first time performing CPR on a patient.</p>
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	&quot;We&#39;ve practised it so many times in training that it just kicked in,&quot; she said.</p>
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	The UCC student said the episode brought home for her the importance of CPR training and having a publicly accessible defibrillator.</p>
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	&quot;It definitely gave him the best chance,&quot; she said.</p>
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	&quot;It&#39;s a skill everyone should have because you never know when you&#39;ll need it. You just don&#39;t know what could happen and you could be the only person with the patient,&quot; she said.</p>
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	The defibrillator used in the rescue had recently been vandalised and the ambulance service has said &quot;it&#39;s timely replacement assisted in saving the life&quot; of the man in question St John&#39;s Ambulance said in a statement.</p>
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	It comes after three youths in Arklow vandalised a defibrillator worth around &euro;2,000 in the early hours, ripping it off the wall and smashing the life-saving device beyond repair.</p>
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	The community in Arlkow has rallied and been donating money to replace the device, which is maintained by the Arklow First Responders volunteer group.</p>
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	A garda investigation was launched following the incident which was captured on CCTV.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Independent on the 3rd January 2017)</p>
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	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/a-quickthinking-christmas-elf-helped-to-save-a-mans-life-when-his-heart-stopped-on-christmas-eve-35338007.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/a-quickthinking-christmas-elf-helped-to-save-a-mans-life-when-his-heart-stopped-on-christmas-eve-35338007.html</a></p>
