Referee, nurses reunite after life‑saving rink rescue

Nova Scotia Heath nurses’ Terri Arnold and Melissa Hines will soon meet for dinner at a Halifax restaurant with the man whose life they helped save earlier this year in a Toronto area ice rink. 

The reunion comes five months after the best friends performed CPR on George Harrison, who collapsed in cardiac arrest inside one of the rink dressing rooms. Hines and Arnold were attending Hines’s daughter’s hockey tournament inside a North York arena. They were standing in line at the canteen for coffee when they heard shouts for help. 

The medical emergency occurred around 10 a.m. on Feb. 5. 

Harrison, a referee, was inside the change room and said the last thing he remembered was his stomach feeling strange before he recalled waking up in the hospital while healthcare workers were removing his breathing tube. 

The reunion takes place July 24, marking the first time the trio will be together since the dramatic rescue. 

“I’m excited about it,” said Harrison, who will stay in Dartmouth and plans to explore the area for a few days while in Nova Scotia. “These two individuals saved my life.” 

Arnold and Hines, nurses in the women and children/labour and delivery unit at Kentville’s Valley Regional Hospital, are also eagerly anticipating the meet. Harrison made a full recovery following the incident and texted the nurses to thank them - a gesture they say is rare. 

“You don’t really get that kind of follow‑up,” Hines said. “It’s been really nice just knowing that he’s doing okay and that he wants to come and meet us.”  

Arnold said the meeting will be meaningful. “There are cases you’ll never forget, and George is definitely one of them.” Hines echoed the sentiment: “It feels really good. It’s going to be nice to see him.” 

Back in February, the nurses took over chest compressions from a younger referee who had started the life-saving efforts on Harrison. They rotated compressions as arena staff retrieved an automated external defibrillator. Harrison was shocked at least three times before paramedics arrived. 

Harrison survived without complications, later undergoing stent procedures and bypass surgery. The retired tax auditor has since returned to the ice and referees games on a regular basis. 

The story of the rescue has already reached hundreds of thousands of readers on Nova Scotia Health media platforms and the article has been shared across hockey circles in Ontario and beyond. Harrison said referees he hadn’t spoken to in years contacted him after seeing the piece. 

The attention feels strange to Hines and Arnold but definitely worthwhile. 

“I don’t feel like we did anything special,” Hines said, “but people really appreciate good news.” 

Photo of Melissa Hines and Terri Arnold.