On Dec. 15, 2008, Jeff Lennox was sitting in the basement of his home, wrapping Christmas presents for his wife, Sarah, when he heard the front door open unexpectedly. It was Sarah. She was supposed to be out shopping, but had come home early. "Don't come down," Jeff called up to her. He knew Sarah was a snoop and he wanted her presents to be a surprise.
A few minutes later, Jeff came upstairs to talk to his wife in the kitchen. He wasn't well, he told Sarah. His chest felt heavy and he was having trouble breathing. Sarah thought Jeff looked pale. She felt his forehead; it was cool and clammy. Earlier that day, Jeff had run 10 kilometres on a treadmill at their home in Binbrook, Ont.; the 28-year-old Hamilton police officer was healthy and fit. Sarah, also 28 at the time, had just gotten over a cold. They both assumed she had passed it on.
After talking to Sarah about what they'd have for dinner, Jeff went back downstairs to finish his wrapping. The last words he penned were on a gift tag, "To Sarah, Love Jeff, xoxoxo."
"Do you know CPR?"
Suddenly, Jeff says now, he "just knew" something was very wrong. He tried to head back up the stairs, but before he reached the top step, he collapsed. He doesn't remember anything after that.
For Sarah, the events are unforgettable. From the kitchen she heard her husband say, "Sarah, I really don't feel so...." Then she heard a squeaking noise as Jeff tried to grip onto the railing, followed by a horrible bang. Sarah rushed to the top of the stairs and saw Jeff's body crumpled on the landing.
Sarah reacted quickly: She grabbed the cordless phone, dialed 911 and ran to Jeff. His jaw was clenched shut, but he was moaning so loudly that Sarah could barely hear the operator. Sarah had no idea her husband's heart was about to stop beating. She ran to unlock the front door for the paramedics. When she returned, Jeff was quiet, his face purple and his eyes red and bulging. The 911 operator asked, "Do you know CPR?" Sarah replied, "Yes."
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