When aspiring paramedic Ethan ordered three resuscitation manikins so he could teach CPR to others, he had no idea how quickly he would put his training into practice and help save a life.
Just two weeks after the dummies arrived at his home in Mansfield Woodhouse, in Nottinghamshire, the 15-year-old found himself performing CPR on a man he found collapsed in the street.
Ethan, who had completed a one-off CPR course with East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) last year, said he went through “a million and one emotions” as he realised he was about to apply his knowledge to a real-life emergency.
“It was adrenaline like never before, but I knew I had to stay calm, and not think too hard about the immense pressure of putting someone’s life in your hands,” he added.
The teenager was on his way home from a casual gardening job at about 14:30 BST on 18 September when he saw a 75-year-old man slumped over “half in the road and half on the pavement” on Ley Lane.
Ethan described the man as being unresponsive with a “raspy-sort of breathing” known as agonal breathing, and he was in cardiac arrest.
Having completed his course with EMAS, and watching countless TV programmes about front-line emergency workers, Ethan’s training kicked in.
Ethan, a Year 10 pupil at The Manor Academy, said a lady who was on the phone to 999 was happy for him to take control as she did not know how to do chest compressions.
Together, they moved the man to a safe, flat surface, where Ethan knew the CPR would be more effective.
He said: “Even though I’ve spent ages preparing for this moment, to put it into practice was completely different.”
