Inspired by her mother, 8-year-old Island Park girl earns CPR certification

She’s only 8 years old, but Abigail Lopez, of Island Park, is already a heartsaver.

The third grader at Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School completed the American Heart Association’s Adult CPR AED program earlier this month in Freeport — one of the youngest to do so.

"If somebody collapses and is unresponsive, not breathing or gasping for air, I can save a life," she told Newsday in a phone interview.

National American Heart Association officials said they don’t track cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certifications by age, but they praised Abigail for being "a strong little girl" learning to save lives.

"We don’t have an age limit on certifications as long as the person can perform the skills correctly and pass the test," said Alyson Elliot, AHA CPR instructor and director of client services for emergency cardiovascular care.

"Usually, around 12 years of age is when they are strong enough to get through a test with the correct compression and rate, but we find many students younger than that who comprehend the curriculum," she said.

The AHA said more than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen every year at home or other places outside a hospital and just 10% of those people survive. Giving a person CPR can increase their chances of survival.

Abigail's first step to certification was an online exam that tested her knowledge with such questions as what to do when arriving at an emergency scene, how many chest compressions are needed for adults, children and infants, and how to open the airway of an unconscious choking victim.

"I only got two wrong!" she said proudly.

Then Abigail took a three-plus-hour course at a Health Force Training Center in Freeport on Nov. 10, where she took copious notes.

"I was the only 8-year-old there," she pointed out.

That was followed by a practical exam to show she could perform CPR and use an automated external defibrillator safely and effectively, according to the AHA standards.

The specialized mannequins used for the training and testing have sensors that show how deeply a person is compressing its chest and breathing into its mouth. "That was the hard part, but I did it," she said.

Abigail said she was inspired by her mother, Jessica Lopez, and her older sister Xiomara Lopez.

Jessica Lopez, 41, is a volunteer with the rescue company of the Island Park Fire Department and a patient care associate at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside. Xiomara Lopez, 24, is getting ready to start nursing school at Adelphi University.

On Election Day 2024, Jessica Lopez was waiting at a bank in Baldwin when a man started vomiting and collapsed. She put the training she had learned in the hospital to work.

"His airway was blocked," she said. "I rolled him on his side and cleared his airway."

Being able to help him on the spot while paramedics were called was key — and a lesson not lost on young Abigail.

"When I told her what happened, she said, ‘Mommy, I want to save people.’ ” Jessica Lopez said.

Abigail also took an interest in her mom’s Emergency Medical Technician class materials.

"She was fascinated," Jessica Lopez said. "She was reading materials from my class. As a little girl, she was always putting Band-Aids on her toys like she was saving their life."

When she isn't planning for a future as a surgeon, Abigail loves to read, hang out with her best friends and play team volleyball.

Elliot said Abigail is an example of what the AHA is trying to do — get people of all ages and all walks of life educated about CPR.

"We are trying to turn a nation of bystanders into a nation of lifesavers," she said.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.