In May 2025, Carla Cernigliaro and her husband, Adam Malinauskas were packing for a trip when Adam suddenly collapsed. Carla yelled for her daughter, Lauren, who was in the other room, to call 911.
Thanks to skills she learned as a high school graduation requirement, Lauren, who was a junior in high school at the time, knew what to do after 911 was called; she checked to see if her dad was choking, then lay him on his back and began Hands-Only CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive. After 10 minutes tirelessly delivering compressions, Lauren and Carla swapped places and Carla leaned on the CPR skills she learned at work to continue those lifesaving efforts.
Lauren and Carla’s quick action worked: Adam survived. After being rushed to the hospital, his recovery happened remarkably quickly. He’s been implanted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and needs to stay vigilant for a possible future heart event. Prior to the cardiac arrest, he’d been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat condition that requires consistent monitoring.
This experience was a wakeup call for Adam, who now takes extra steps for his heart health. Each weekend, he takes a 5 to 10-mile walk and aims to keep his stress in check. “I’m amazed and appreciative to have survived cardiac arrest due to the more than 15 minutes of key actions by my prepared family,” said Adam. “Many healthcare professionals have stressed how acting quickly gave me the rare opportunity to rapidly recover so well.” Carla also emphasizes the role of loved ones to provide that friendly extra push to encourage family members and friends to take their heart health seriously.
Adam’s survival has given the whole family a new sense of purpose. As Lauren heads into her final year in high school and starts planning for college, she’s hoping to pursue a career where she can make an impact on community health and education. “I’m so proud of Lauren for staying calm under pressure and taking action without hesitation,” said Carla. “That levelheadedness is even more amazing knowing she was saving the life of her own father.”
“Thanks to those skills I learned in health class, I had the confidence to take quick action and keep my dad’s heart pumping, added Lauren. “That CPR lesson changed our lives.”
Thanks to her lifesaving efforts, Lauren was honored with an American Heart Association Heartsaver Hero award, a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service award and a Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems Right Care When It Counts award.
Adam, Lauren and Carla are walking in the year’s Greater Washington Region Heart Walk with team Leidos, where Carla works as a senior vice president of government services and solutions.
The Heart Walk, happening on Nov. 7 at the National Mall, will honor survivors like Adam and lifesavers like Lauren and Carla while raising funds to train even more people in CPR. Sign up today.