Comedy audience unite to save a man's life
'It was so powerful... it felt like a miracle'
A comedy club audience came together to save the life of a man who collapsed of a heart attack midway through a show.
They took turns to perform CPR, trying to revive the man – a Mr Wende – until paramedics arrived. He had no pulse for more than five minutes until he was revived.
Comic Drew Lynch, who was on stage at the time of the dramatic incident in Spokane, Washington state, posted intense footage of the incident online.
He said that the collective effort to revive Mr Wende was 'one of the most powerful examples of community and human connection I’ve ever seen’.
Lynch wrote: ‘Without hesitation, people in the audience began taking turns performing CPR, clearing space for paramedics, and monitoring his vitals. He had no pulse for over 5 minutes.
'With the combined efforts of total strangers, and honestly, by what felt like a miracle that night, he was revived right there in the room.
‘The entire audience came together in that moment—no egos, no identities, no division—just one goal: saving a life.’
Mr Wende’s granddaughter Kayla commented on the video, saying: ‘It’s a hard watch but the people who did the CPR saved his life. We are so grateful for the extra time with my grandpa and so grateful for everyone’s support and love!’
After Mr Wende was taken to the ambulance, Lynch resumed the show in sombre, emotional mood and tearfully told the audience: ‘That was incredible guys. I know we’re here making jokes and doing a bunch of shit. You guys all came together in a really cool way. You saved that guy’s life… You guys worked together so fast… To just witness that…’
And he joked: ‘I have literally the hardest job in the world now’ to get the show back on track.
Fellow comic Rachel Aflleje, who was also on the bill of the Spokane Comedy Club, said: ‘Hearing the paramedics say "we’re gonna take care of you, okay?" from across the room was such a relief that night.
‘All I’d heard before that was "CPR started" and "no pulse" and I had no clue what was going on.’
She told Lynch: ‘You handled this like a pro and I will shout that from the mountain tops forever.’
The pair of them and Akeem Hoyte-Charles, who was also on the bill, all visited Mr Wende in the hospital the day after the incident to finish the show for him.
Lynch said: ‘Getting to laugh and share stories with his family for hours in the hospital was the reminder I needed of why comedy is so needed - especially in times when the world feels so torn apart.’
He added: ‘ Huge thank you to the people of Spokane, the brave medical professionals, and the Wende family for bringing this man into my life and reminding me just how special community can be.’
Here’s a full ten-minute video of the incident:
Published: 21 Sep 2025
