Empowering Everyone: Join Provo’s Miss Freedom Festival to Learn Life-Saving CPR Skills and Raise Awareness

Meet Lilia Tavares, the inspiring Miss Freedom Festival 2024! She’s not just a titleholder; she’s a passionate advocate for CPR education. Lilia started her journey with CPR training at just 16. She quickly realized how many people in her community, even her family, were unfamiliar with CPR techniques.

Every year, over 400,000 people in the U.S. die from cardiac arrest, often outside a hospital. When a heart stops, every second matters. Cardiac arrest can occur unexpectedly, and without immediate action, it can become fatal within minutes. That’s where learning CPR becomes crucial.

Lilia learned about the simple yet powerful techniques of CPR and decided to spread the word. She recalls a touching story of a woman who saved her husband’s life with CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED). This woman’s experience deeply impacted Lilia, reinforcing her mission to educate others. She wants to ensure that no one feels helpless in an emergency.

Statistics show that around 70% of cardiac arrests happen at home. With four out of five incidents occurring in residential settings, preparedness is vital. Lilia emphasizes that CPR can make a life-saving difference when it matters most.

Unfortunately, a recent study revealed that half of Americans don’t know how to perform hands-only CPR. Lilia wants to change that. She partners with the American Heart Association (AHA) to increase awareness around heart health and CPR education.

Through her program, “CPR U Ready?”, Lilia travels to schools to teach students the basics of CPR. She dispels myths, such as needing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and demonstrates that chest compressions alone can save lives. If someone goes into cardiac arrest, it’s essential to call 911 immediately and push hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.

In addition to her focus on CPR, Lilia advocates for heart disease prevention. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for women in the U.S. February is American Heart Month, and the AHA encourages everyone to adopt healthy habits, stay active, and keep up with regular checkups.

Ultimately, Lilia’s aim is simple: empower her community with life-saving knowledge. She believes that spending just a few minutes to learn CPR can make a world of difference in an emergency. With her dedication, she hopes to equip people with the confidence they need to respond effectively when it counts.