When his dad went into cardiac arrest while driving on the highway, 16-year-old Joshua Gomes of Assonet, Massachusetts, jumped into action to save his whole family. With his mother in the passenger seat and his 12-year-old sister in the back, the teen realized the car was veering toward the guard rail after his father slumped over at the wheel. Jumping from the back seat, he brought the car safely to a stop before flagging down help from other drivers.
As his mother called 911, Joshua and bystanders lifted his father from the car to the ground. Using CPR skills he’d learned in health class the previous semester, he performed chest compressions for several minutes until paramedics arrived. His father, Robbie, was hospitalized for 10 days and received a pacemaker, later saying he doesn’t remember anything from the hours before the attack until three days afterward.
Robbie expressed deep gratitude for his son’s actions, and the incident has inspired the entire Gomes family to get CPR certification. Joshua’s calm and decisive response not only saved his father’s life but also prevented a likely car crash that would have endangered his entire family.
Source: TURN TO 10