Montreal family searches for mystery hero who saved 87-year-old man's life
A Montreal family is appealing to the public to help identify the stranger who performed life-saving CPR on their elderly relative after he collapsed during an afternoon walk.
Sabato Borrelli, 87, suffered a cardiac arrest last Thursday while walking alone in his Ahuntsic–Cartierville neighbourhood.
Paramedics who arrived at the scene told the family a passerby performed CPR on Borrelli before they took over. The stranger's intervention likely saved his life.
'He wouldn't have survived if that person hadn't acted so quickly,' said Lucia Orfeo in an interview with The Gazette. She is Borrelli's former daughter-in-law and remains close with the family.
'They gave us more time with him, and we're so grateful. We just want to say thank you,' she added.
The family says Borrelli had already returned home from his usual morning walk and lunch when he stepped out again for a second stroll, a near-daily routine for the retired construction worker, who Orfeo describes as active, social and independent.
When Borrelli arrived at the hospital, he suffered a second cardiac arrest and had to be revived again by medical staff.
But despite initial fears, he regained consciousness on Sunday. Though still recovering in hospital, his condition has improved, Orfeo said, and he is growing stronger each day.
'He wants to go home. He says he has work to do,' Orfeo said. 'He's someone who still makes his own wine, his own tomato sauce, and tends to his garden and the local bocce field. He's not your typical 87-year-old.'
The incident has been especially emotional for Orfeo, whose daughter — Borrelli's granddaughter — died two and a half years ago after suffering a sudden brain haemorrhage and cardiac arrest. She was unable to be revived.
'He was on a ventilator, very much like my daughter, in the same hospital, the same ICU,' she said. 'It felt like a kind of full circle.'
The family has tried to obtain information about the Good Samaritan from hospital staff and emergency services, but privacy protocols prevent officials from releasing identifying details.
Orfeo posted an appeal on a local Facebook group, Montrealers Helping Montrealers, which has since attracted media attention and supportive comments, yet the stranger remains unknown.
'It's their right to remain anonymous, and we'd respect that,' Orfeo said. 'But if they're reading this, I just want them to know what they did, it meant everything to us.'
She added the incident has reinforced her belief in the importance of learning CPR.
'Not everyone is in a position to help like that, but this person didn't hesitate. They saved a life. And we'll never forget it.'
Borrelli remains in hospital, but is expected to make a full recovery.
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