Boy Rings Woman's Doorbell at 3 A.M. and Leads Her to His Dad — She Performs CPR for 10 Minutes and Saves His Life

June 9, 2026

A woman in Nanaimo, British Columbia, is being hailed as a hero after answering her door in the middle of the night and helping save a man's life, but she says the real hero is the 12-year-old boy who refused to stop searching for help.

Amy Pye / CHEK Media

At 3 a.m. on Saturday, Amy Pye was asleep when her doorbell suddenly rang. Curious and concerned, she checked her doorbell camera and saw a frightened young boy standing outside.

The boy urgently pleaded for someone to answer, explaining that his father needed help.

"He was so brave to go door to door to get help for his Dad," Pye said. "He saved his Dad."

The determined youngster had already knocked on three other doors before arriving at Pye's home. Thankfully, she answered.

Without hesitation, Pye followed the boy back to his house. What she found was a terrifying scene.

"We sprint. Go into his house and his Dad's unresponsive, facedown in the bathroom," she recalled.

Drawing on her experience as a former Navy reservist, Pye immediately called 911. Following instructions from the emergency operator, she began performing CPR and chest compressions while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

For the next 10 to 15 exhausting minutes, she continued working to keep the man alive.

"Kept going, kept going, paramedics ran in," Pye said. "One of them knelt down with me and said, 'I'm taking over.'"

According to first-aid trainer Tina Hein, sustaining chest compressions for that length of time is no small feat.

"It's exhausting work and often times people can maybe manage two minutes and she went for 10," Hein said. "So not only did she do something with incredible integrity, but she used all of her energy. Ten minutes is a long time."

Hein believes Pye's actions made all the difference.

"Sometimes an ambulance can't get there in time. So that woman completely saved that man's life. I'm so proud of her," she said.

BC Ambulance confirmed the man was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Pye later learned from his family that he had suffered a heart attack and is now recovering.