A celebration for Vaughan heart attack victim's road to recovery
Luigi Valente helps save neighbour's life

YorkRegion.com
Oct. 16, 2015
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Vaughan’s fire chief calls him a hero, but if you ask Luigi Valente about helping save his neighbour’s life, he’ll likely tell you he didn’t do anything extraordinary.

It happened last December, during the first snowstorm of the year.

Valente and his longtime next-door neighbour Nelson Kagetsu were outside clearing the snow off their driveways. Valente was sweeping off his steps while Kagetsu, who used his snowblower to clear both their driveways, had gone to retrieve a shovel to clean up the last little bit of snow.

A few seconds later, Valente heard a thud and turned to see what caused it.

He saw Kagetsu lying in the middle of his driveway.

Valente’s first thought was that his neighbour was joking around, perhaps making a snow angel.

When he realized Kagetsu wasn’t moving, Valente rushed over.

“I tried to lift him up, but he was completely gone,” he said.

Valente yelled to another neighbour who was outside to call 9-1-1.

At first, Valente was worried Kagetsu had suffered a concussion.

“The way he fell down, he banged his head,” Valente said. “I put my hand underneath his head and I felt what I thought was blood. But, when I pulled my hand out, it was just wet from the snow.”

Then, although he wasn’t sure how to do it properly, Valente started performing CPR.

“I didn’t know if I was hurting him or if I was helping him,” said the 67-year-old retired construction worker.

Given the nasty weather, the neighbour who called 9-1-1 had trouble getting through. And once he reached an operator, he was put him on hold, Valente said.

“(Kagetsu’s) eyes rolled up and I got really scared and I started to panic,” Valente said. “I was trying (chest compressions) more and more and more...He tried to breathe but he was really in bad shape.”

They eventually connected with a 9-1-1 operator who instructed them to continue doing chest compressions until firefighters or EMS arrived, Valente said.

In the meantime, Kagetsu’s wife, who was working from home that day, came outside and learned from the neighbours what had happened.

When Vaughan firefighters got to the scene, they took over treatment and shocked Kagetsu with a defibrillator, Valente said.

“They had to try three times because he wasn’t responding at all,” he recalled.

A short time later, paramedics arrived and whisked Kagetsu to Humber River Regional Hospital’s Finch site. From there, he was transported to Sunnybrook Hospital where he underwent surgery to treat a blocked artery.

Ten months later, Kagetsu has completed a cardiac rehabilitation program and is well on his way to a full recovery.

Kagetsu says he’s “indebted” to Valente and the others who came to his aid.

“I’m deeply grateful for them,” said the 51-year-old father of one. “I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Valente insists his actions weren’t all that extraordinary.

“I didn’t do anything more or less than any other human being would have done in my place,” he said. “I think anybody would have done the same thing. It’s not like I did anything special.”

Vaughan Fire Chief Larry Bentley sees it a little differently.

“Mr. Valente is a hero because that was the point of contact that somebody did something that was very positive in the survival opportunity for Mr. Kagetsu.” he said. “Bad CPR is better than no CPR at all. He was able to do that and the firefighters were able to respond in a timely fashion (and save Kagetsu’s life).”

And Bentley knows just how stressful that type of situation can be.

About five years ago, a friend whom he played hockey with in a men’s league, suffered a heart attack during a game and Bentley had to perform CPR on him.

“I’m a professional and it was pretty nerve-wracking because it was my friend. So you can imagine how Mr. Valente felt, he has no skills,” Bentley said. “He’s never done CPR in his life, but knows he has to do something. He initiates his own form of CPR and he saves Mr. Kagetsu’s life. That just blows me away. I think it’s incredibly fantastic.”

Last month, Valente along with the crew of firefighters and dispatchers who helped save Kagetsu’s life were recognized for their efforts during a special ceremony at Fire Station 79 to celebrate what Bentley calls “the chain of survival.”

“It was very special. I wasn’t expecting anything because anybody would have done the same thing,” said Valente, who was presented with a civilian commendation. “I just did the best that I could and we had a good result.”

The ceremony also gave Kagetsu a chance to thank, in person, those who helped him.

“It’s one of those things where how do you thank them for your life?” Kagetsu said. “You kind of reflect back and any money or anything else in the world can’t replace a life, right. You’re deeply indebted to them.”

“Luigi looked at me and said, ‘You would’ve done the same for me. That’s what good neighbours are for.’ He said, ‘I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.’ But yes you did, you saved my life.”