Family seeks passerby who saved Montreal senior
Posted May 23, 2025 2:07 pm.
Last Updated May 23, 2025 5:32 pm.
Imagine going for a walk and suddenly seeing someone collapse. What would you do?
For one Montreal man, a passerby didn’t hesitate — and it saved his life.
On May 15, 87-year-old Sabato Borrelli went out for his daily walk — likely near Jarry Park, where he often goes. His family assumes that’s where the incident happened, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
At some point during the outing, he went into cardiac arrest.
A passerby began CPR immediately, keeping Borrelli alive for nearly 20 minutes until paramedics arrived.
His family says that act made all the difference — and now they’re hoping to find the person who stepped in, to say ‘Thank you’.
A daughter’s shock at the hospital
Gloria Borrelli, Sabato’s daughter, first learned something was wrong when she received a call from Sacré-Cœur Hospital.
“I got a call from Sacré-Cœur Hospital telling me my dad was at the emergency, and it was just that he wasn’t feeling well, and if I could go over there and, you know, see my dad,” she said.
When she arrived, she discovered the situation was much more serious.
“When I got there and I found out he’s in ICU, it’s not just that he’s not feeling well. And then we went up to the ICU and I see him all plugged in and, you know, on a respiratory machine — and I was shocked. Totally shocked.”
Doctors told the family that Sabato had stopped breathing for 20 minutes — and survived only because someone nearby had started CPR right away.
“They told me that he had stopped breathing for 20 minutes, and that someone had performed CPR on him non-stop for 20 minutes. The doctor said that had this not been done, my dad would not be here with us.”
Dr. Christopher Labos, a Montreal cardiologist and epidemiologist, says that kind of quick action is often the only thing that can keep someone alive during cardiac arrest.
“It’s absolutely critical. When somebody goes into cardiac arrest, they are not pumping blood to their brain. Without some intervention, they will almost certainly die,” Labos said.
“Starting CPR is essentially what’s gonna make the difference between somebody surviving until an ambulance can get there or possibly dying, because after about five minutes of no oxygen to the brain, your brain cells start dying off.”
“If you can start CPR and even better, if you can apply a defibrillator to shock somebody out of a dangerous heart rhythm, that is very likely gonna save somebody’s life.”
A growing search for a stranger
The full weight of what had happened hit Gloria the following day.
“I was with my sister-in-law, and I was like, ‘I can’t believe— I can’t believe my dad’s here because of this person that, you know, did CPR on my dad.’ And it’s like, ‘We’ve got to find out who this person is. I need to thank him.’”
Her sister-in-law posted about the incident on the Facebook group Montrealers Helping Montrealers, hoping someone might come forward.
“My sister-in-law mentions, ‘Oh, you know what? I’m just going to post it on Montrealers Helping Montrealers,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, okay. I don’t even know what that is.’ But now I do — and from here on in, we’re going there. And the response was unreal — how people reached out and our story got out.”
The family still hasn’t found the Good Samaritan — but Gloria knows what she’d say.
“You have no idea what an impact your act has made. You know, saving a life — definitely. And making people aware that, you know what? Don’t even stop and think. Do what you have to do to help somebody.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you — like, a big thank you — for still having my dad with me. He’s the best dad ever.”
‘You work, live, breathe family’
Gloria says her father is known for his strong values and commitment to family.
“Do you remember My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well, we’re Italian instead — and my dad’s very, um, you know, really old-fashioned. Values, morals — it’s just all about family. You work, live, breathe family. That’s who we are.”
She said Sabato had never had any serious health issues before.
“Not even as much as a headache. Not even a Tylenol. Never. Nothing. He never even complained. So this is why we’re so shocked — something this extreme, for my dad? Never.”
Now in hospital, he’s breathing on his own and beginning to regain awareness, though still somewhat disoriented from medication.
Sabato also celebrated his 87th birthday in the hospital.
“The fact that he’s here with us is just — you know what — a reminder to really take the time and spend more time together. Even though we’re always together, really spend the time together. Like, quality time.”
For one relative, the story hits close to home
Lucia Orfeo, Sabato’s former daughter-in-law, said she remains close to the Borrelli family. The news of his collapse brought back difficult memories of losing her daughter two years ago.
“It was, like Gloria said, unbelievable — because he’s one of the strongest men that I know. And I just… I couldn’t believe that was happening to him.”
Lucia’s daughter died at age 20 following a cardiac arrest caused by a brain hemorrhage — a loss that made Sabato’s rescue especially emotional for her.
“Knowing that someone was able to save him is a whole… it was very emotional for me. And for me, that’s the reason why I wanted to reach out and find this person — to let them know exactly what they did. They saved a life, and that means everything to me.”
She believes CPR knowledge is essential.
“I think it’s the basic minimum that we should know. And this should be a lesson. Even if we don’t find this person, I think just us being out there and on the news should be a reminder that we should all know basic CPR skills.”
She also shared something that stayed with her from childhood.
“Somebody once told me a long time ago — an elderly gentleman — he said, ‘When I was a little boy, my father told me that if you can help someone, no matter what the situation, if you’re in a position to help, you should.’ So I think that’s the message here as well, and that’s why I would want to thank this person.”
Dr. Labos agrees that more people should be prepared to step in when it matters most.
“I think everybody should go and get trained in CPR on how to use a defibrillator,” he said. “It’s gonna be an afternoon of your life, but possibly another 30 years of somebody else’s.”
To the stranger who saved Sabato, Lucia says: “Thank you so much because maybe he doesn’t think that his act was all that grandiose but it was everything because he gave our family more time and time is precious and it’s actually the most important thing.”
She hopes they find him — not just to thank him, but to honour her daughter.
“I hope we find them, because I would love to tell him how his act of kindness kind of came full circle with my daughter. My daughter was the biggest proponent of ‘be kind,’ so it’s kind of like a legacy to her, I feel.”
