Speed served him well on the field and has now served up a miracle on a subdivision city street.
Haliburton’s Mike Bradley, who is a Durham Regional Police constable, used his speed and quick thinking to not only get to, but use CPR on, 22-month-old Eyston Brandauer earlier this month.
“It was pretty surreal to say the least. In our job being a police officer we try to not get emotionally attached to the calls, but that was one of the kind of calls where if you weren’t emotionally attached there’s something wrong,” he said in an interview with the paper.
The married father of an 18-month-old said all he could think of was his own daughter when he heard dispatch with the call of a choking toddler. This past Wednesday he returned to see how Eyston and the family were doing.
“We deal with a lot of people every day and it’s one of those calls that anybody who works in the emergency services could deal with any day of the week, but it’s very rare we’re invited back to people’s homes that we deal with for any sort of thing. It was nice to be appreciated in that sense,” he said.
Bradley has been an officer for five years. The former Red Hawks football player and Waterloo Warriors star was also a running back/special teams player for the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL. He won the Grey Cup in 2003 and played in the league for six years.
Bradley’s dad, Jim, said his son loves the job despite tough times.
“For a week there when [Eyston] was in the hospital he was pretty down she might not make it, but then when everything turned out well it gave him a nice high to go through that,” he said.
“It’s just one more step for him. He loved football and the high it presented. And sometimes this job presents similar type highs that are more rewarding than football by a whole lot when you save someone’s life.”
On a CityTV news report, Bradley shared praise with everyone involved in the call.
“It was definitely a team effort. There was a ton of help. A ton of people acting fast and acting right for the best outcome, ” he said.
Bradley was at the scene in three minutes from when the call came in. His staff sergeant has put in a recommendation for a citation.
Bradley’s likeness is being added to the collection of murals on the side of the Dysart arena.
He’ll do his best to not see the mural until it is unveiled at the ceremony scheduled in October.
He believes this support is part of a small town.
“I appreciate it immensely. It’s one of those things that speaks volumes about small towns and the support you continue to get even after being removed from football for five or six years.”
Janet Bradley couldn’t be prouder of her son.
“He’s a good kid. What else can I say,” she said.
Seeing the girl doing well has helped Bradley.
“It was a little bit tough for me, but now that I know she is going to be OK and she’s doing better it makes a lot easier. It gives you some closure,” he said.