Lemnos: Priest saves child with CPR technique
The importance of first aid knowledge is highlighted by the case of a priest from Lemnos who saved the life of a 2-year-old boy who suffered a cardiac arrest in a village on the island. Father Nektarios Boulitsakis, who performed CPR on the child, states that “we live in an era where people are lost in squares full of people.”
Father Nektarios is a priest in the parish of Kontias and a trained volunteer of the Regional Department of the Red Cross of Lemnos – Agios Efstratios. “It is great what the Red Cross is doing, because unfortunately we live in an era when people are lost in squares full of people,” the priest told limnofm100.gr.
“When the president of the Local Branch asked me, ‘What were you doing at that moment?’ I answered him honestly: ‘I was doing two things at once, prayer and CPR,’” he added. The priest expressed his desire not to speak further about the incident: “I don’t want to talk, our time is looking for heroes.”
According to limnosfm100.gr, the incident occurred about a month ago in the nearby village of Kontias, when the priest was in the area shopping.
As he was walking down the street, ready to leave, the door of a house suddenly opened and a woman jumped out, shouting that the child was not breathing, according to the same information. The priest entered the house and, seeing the unconscious child, performed CPR. The 2-year-old regained consciousness then to collapse again and the priest performed CPR again, resulting in the child regaining consciousness once again. The 2-year-old was taken to the hospital and is in good health.
The Holy Metropolis of Lemnos and Agios Efstratios issued a relevant statement, speaking of an “exceptional and heroic act” by its clergyman and announcing that he will be awarded an ecclesiastical award by the local Shepherd, His Eminence Metropolitan Ierotheos. The statement in detail:
“With particular emotion and pride, our Holy Metropolis announces and praises the excellent and heroic act of its clergyman, Fr. Nektarios Boulitsakis, Parish Priest of the Parishes of Kontias and Portianos of our island.
Father Nektarios, having been trained in First Aid by volunteer instructors of the Health Sector of the Regional Department of the Hellenic Red Cross of Lemnos – Agios Efstratios, managed to apply CPR techniques to save a two-year-old child who was not breathing and bring him back to life, spontaneously exerting maximum effort.
His Eminence our Shepherd, Metropolitan Ierotheos of Lemnos and Agios Efstratios, personally congratulated Fr. Nektarios and, as a sign of honour, will award him an ecclesiastical award at a future opportunity, in recognition of his commendable and heroic act, but also of his many years of priestly ministry to date.
Finally, His Eminence Metropolitan Ierotheos notes that this action of the clergy of our Local Church, commendable by all, is an honour not only for him, but also for the entire spiritual family of our Holy Metropolis, which, conscious of its mission, cultivates, encourages and strengthens volunteerism and social service activities, which concern the spiritual and physical needs of people.”
