He’s a hero.
A Florida teen saved a baby’s life after learning CPR in school, People reports.
Savion Harris is an 11th grader at Crestview High School in Florida. As a part of the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program, students must receive their CPR certification. The school’s medical classes have a partnership with Florida State University’s (FSU) SSTRIDE (Science Students Together Reaching Instructional Diversity & Excellence) program. This allows students to use their training to secure jobs after high school or enroll in FSU’s medical program.
Recently, Harris was working his shift at a local Thai restaurant when one of the owners came running down the stairs with her son Max in her arms. The child had turned blue and was not breathing. The mother passed the baby to his father, who began asking employees to call 911. That’s when Harris sprang into action.
“While I was talking to the responder on the other end of the phone, I got the baby from the dad and put him on the table. The baby was turning blue, and I decided to do CPR. I did two good compressions, and the baby started crying, so I knew he was getting oxygen to his lungs. The color started returning to his face, and at that point, the ambulance arrived,”Harris told reporters. “It was a very short, but like, intense couple of minutes. Just two or three minutes at the most, but it was extremely intense.”
The entire ordeal, albeit brief, could’ve turned deadly if not for Harris’s quick thinking and his life-saving training. His CTE Allied Health teacher, Dr. Tammy McKenzie, spoke about Harris’ heroic efforts, saying, “I’m very proud to see one of my students be able to jump into action. We practice a lot. The students in this class understand the significance of learning those life-saving skills.”
Crestview also took to social media to praise Harris, captioning a picture of him with principal Dexter Day that read, “In a moment of critical need, he put into action his Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers training…We’re so proud of him and the life-saving service he rendered! This is just one of the reasons why having CTE in our schools matters.”
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Harris plans to attend Florida State University after graduation, with dreams of becoming a trauma nurse.
Congratulations, Savion!
Photo Courtesy of Crestview High School