‘The only reason he’s alive’: CCHS alum performs crucial on-ice CPR
“We are feeling so very thankful that his story did not end on the ice,” said Tim Kelley’s son, Eric.
At age 69, Tim Kelley was planning a return to playing hockey. Cam Daley was spending a day on leave from the Marines at a local rink to get in a little ice time — and that coincidence saved Kelley’s life.
Kelley’s comeback took a turn when he collapsed at Valley Sports on Main Street on August 21. Now, family members are lauding the people who rushed to his aid.
“We are feeling so very thankful that his story did not end on the ice,” his son Eric told The Acton Bridge. “We are so happy we get to see him smile and hear his voice every day.”
Tim Kelley had been skating with his friend Ryan Palmer and Palmer’s kids during an open “stick time” session, where hockey gear is welcome.
Palmer said Kelley “put himself down on the ice.” He soon saw Kelley’s face turning purple and called for help.
Daley, a Acton-Carlisle High School alumnus, was nearby and started administering CPR, Palmer said. CCHS student Will Cook grabbed an AED from an adjoining rink and passed it to Cam’s brother Declan Daley, who shuttled it onto the ice.
Will, Declan, and fellow CCHS student Braden Bialecki helped bring medical equipment to the still-unconscious Kelley once emergency responders arrived, Braden said.
Two days after the on-ice heroics, Palmer reunited with the Daleys, Will, and Braden on a Zoom call and relayed news from hospital doctors.
“The CPR that was given to him before the paramedics arrived is the only reason he’s alive,” Palmer said.
‘A fun thing to do’
The senior Kelley played hockey when he was younger and had been considering joining an adult recreational league, Eric Kelley said.
Family members convinced him “it would be a fun thing to do,” and he started collecting equipment.
With every box of equipment that arrived, Tim had been telling stories about how gear had changed over the years, and “we [had] not seen him this happy/excited about something in a long time,” Eric told The Acton Bridge.
Tim finished gathering gear in July, Eric said. The August 21 session was the second time he’d worn the equipment, Palmer told The Bridge.
Palmer and Tim Kelley were planning to play together in their adult league. Tim was using the stick time session to ease back into the sport.
Quick, pivotal response
Palmer is a CCHS chemistry teacher who taught the Daley brothers. He started giving chest compressions when his friend lost consciousness, but he said later that he was “kind of freaking out.”
Cam Daley, 21, “saw Mr. Palmer yelling for help.” He said he practiced CPR in Marine boot camp and had been on leave for one day when he leaped into action on the ice.
The Daleys’ dad, a Chelmsford firefighter/EMT, “always taught us that stuff growing up,” Daley said.
Declan slipped his Fitbit onto Kelley’s wrist before the AED arrived in the hope of finding a pulse.
Daley shouted to children to stay away while he did compressions. He didn’t want the kids to see what was happening.
“They were wicked young,” he said.
Palmer said he’d been holding Kelley’s head up to keep his airway open. He praised Daley’s “presence of mind to take care of others in the middle of this situation.”
‘Heroes to our family’
Daley played on the CCHS boys hockey team. Declan and Braden now skate for the Patriots, and Will said he plans to try out this year.
CCHS boys hockey celebrated the Daleys on social media and credited the team’s Dane Carter with calling 911.
Eric Kelley said his dad’s love of hockey “has never faded.” He’s “an avid Bruins fan and always reminisces about the broken ribs he got playing as a young adult.”
He was “doing well” and recovering in the hospital as of August 24, Eric said. Doctors were working to figure out what happened and determine “how to move forward.”
Tim Kelley is nursing new broken ribs after his ordeal, but told his family that’s “better than the alternative (not being here),” Eric wrote in an email to The Bridge.
Doctors were “all amazed at his outcome,” he said.
Kelley was “up and talking” as of August 24, according to his son, and “beyond thankful” for Palmer and the others who helped.
Eric said the quick response not only saved his father’s life, but also his quality of life.
“The longer someone is down, the harder recovery can be with regard to the damage to someone’s brain.”
Eric, a nationally registered EMT, said he hopes people know that “getting CPR training and learning how to use an AED could save someone’s whole world someday.”
Palmer and the others “are heroes to our family,” he said.
