Megan Laughner practices chest compressions on a CPR practice dummy at a free CPR class at Butler Memorial Hospital on Saturday, Feb. 11. The classes were organized and paid for by a cardiac arrest survivor and her family as part of a “CPR Blitz.” Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

Four CPR classes Saturday in the Nixon-Sarver classroom at Butler Memorial Hospital and four more slated to take place Feb. 25 came about because of the gratitude of a woman and her family who benefited from the life-saving technique.

The classes in the “Saturday CPR Blitz” were created and paid for by Victoria Williams, of Chicora, and her in-laws, Dave and Jodi WIliiams.

Victoria Williams, a nurse in Butler Memorial Hospital’s ambulatory medical department, knows firsthand the importance of knowing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in case of an emergency.

On New Year’s Eve 2020 while shopping in Butler’s Target store with her 11-month-old daughter, Williams said, “I collapsed and went into sudden cardiac arrest.”

Fortunately, two nurses who were shopping nearby came to her aid and administered CPR until emergency services could arrive.