Pride of Australia: Heavily pregnant woman saves a man’s life in the Melbourne CBD with CPR

GOING to work on her last day before maternity leave, Collingwood mum Sally Hasler did not expect to save a stranger’s life. Here’s how you can honour other remarkable Australians.

GOING to work on her last day before maternity leave, Sally Hasler did not expect to save a stranger’s life.

The heavily pregnant woman got off the bus in the Melbourne CBD on August 10 and saw a man lying unconscious on the street.

“He was blue and cold and I remember thinking that he was going to die,” the 35-year-old Collingwood woman said.

“There was someone on the phone to the ambulance but no one was providing first aid. He was going to die and I had to do something. It was terrifying.”

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Sally Hasler will one day tell daughter Nellie how she saved a man’s life. Picture: David Caird

Despite being 37 weeks pregnant, Mrs Hasler jumped in and performed lifesaving compression-only CPR on the man until the paramedics arrived.

“I just wanted the ambulance to get there, and then as soon as I heard the sirens, I had a feeling of great relief,” the Victorian public servant said.

“I was exhausted being that pregnant doing it (CPR) to quite a big patient.

“It’s better to do something rather than nothing, so that was my something.”

For her selfless act, Mrs Hasler was nominated for a Pride of Australia medal.

Nominations are now open for the 2018 Pride of Australia Awards, presented in partnership with Australia Post and Seven News. They honour ordinary Australians doing incredible things.

Mrs Hasler is looking forward to one day recounting the dramatic event to her daughter, Nellie — now nine days old.

“I’ll tell her of the importance of being able to help others and what an incredible story it was to have her in my belly doing that on my last day at work,” she said.

She has been a volunteer with St John Ambulance since she was nine and is on the national board but had never performed CPR on a real person. “It’s not a classroom scenario,” she said.

“Despite all the practice and all the training, it’s still incredibly stressful and difficult. I am just really glad that I could help and really glad he was OK.”

HOW TO NOMINATE

Nominations to honour the nation’s unsung heroes close on October 21

Herald Sun readers and Seven News viewers can nominate at prideofaustralia.com.au

Medal ceremonies will be held in December, with Editor’s Choice winners revealed live on Sunrise on December 14