A second chance at life inspires a full circle moment for Red Cross CPR instructor

This past March, American Red Cross of Western New York intern Sado Isak found herself before an auditorium full of local students.

“I think what we as individuals fear the most ends up being what we’re the most good at.”

A Brockport public health graduate with a fear of public speaking, the 24-year-old intern was leading one of the several Hands-Only CPR courses she would teach that week, each with a mindset that Isak is proud to share with those she encounters.

“Thank God for the good and the bad, because those situations are bound to teach you something. They either make you or break you.”

In her nearly two and a half decades, Isak has learned quite a bit. A native of Uganda, Isak moved to the Rochester area with her family as a 7-year-old after living in a refugee camp and fondly recalled her first interaction with snow.

“I thought it was left over from a party or something, I couldn’t understand why it was all over the place. It was cold!”

But fast forward to March 2020 and Isak will tell you it was her life-threatening experience with COVID-19 at the onset of a global pandemic that helped to fortify her way of thinking.

As she worked to complete her final semester at Monroe Community College, Isak struggled for weeks with an illness whose progression was still relatively unknown to healthcare professionals and the world. After four weeks of battling what she thought was a terrible cold at home surrounded by family, she said her body simply gave out.

“I have never experienced that much pain, that much sickness.”

Paramedics were called to her home and provided lifesaving compressions, resuscitating Isak before taking her to a local hospital for treatment where she quickly recovered.

“I feel like that left a huge mark on me,” Isak explained. “It was very scary. I’ve never experienced anything like that, and I never thought I would be getting CPR done to me. I see this as a great sign that I was destined to do something. I was destined to do something better.”

Since then, Isak has taken full advantage of her second chance – turning it into a full circle moment

pursuing a degree in Public Health and starting an internship with the American Red Cross, not long after another second chance moment seen around the world shone a spotlight on the importance of CPR and preparedness training.

“I’ve been doing a lot of youth leadership programs like Prepare with Pedro, and a lot of Hands-Only CPR trainings,” she explained. “I didn’t really think of the trauma of what I went through, I just thought we need to teach people how to properly treat someone who needs it.”

Since January, the American Red Cross has experienced a notable increase in inquiries about CPR and AED training, and in course enrollments – as well as how to obtain an AED. And while the industry continues to see a growing interest in preparedness training such as CPR/AED training, Isak who graduated from Brockport last month, hopes her experience inspires others to follow suit.

“I’m a huge believer in that everything happens for a reason,” she explained. “If it were you, wouldn’t you want someone to do the same for you?”