‘He is an absolute hero’: 12-year-old boy pulls man from Wellington pool, administers CPR – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
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WELLINGTON, Fla. (WSVN) — A brave Palm Beach County boy jumped into action when someone close to him suffered a medical emergency in a swimming pool.
Surveillance video captured 12-year-old Austen MacMillan as he pulled behavioral therapist Jason Piquette up from the bottom of his family’s pool in Wellington.
Just as MacMillan turned to get help, Piquette slipped under the water. The seventh grader went in the pool to make the save.
“I pulled him out of the water, and then I pulled him to that shore over there,” said the boy.
When he realized Piquette wasn’t breathing, MacMillan said he knew what to do.
“I gave him CPR,” he said as he mimicked compressions.
When asked where he learned to do that, the 12-year-old replied, “I just saw it on TV.”
MacMillan’s technique is exactly what is taught in CPR courses.
The security footage showed MacMillan yelling for help as he began compressions.
“I heard him yelling in a frantic way that I’ve never seen him [do] ever before,” said Andrew MacMillan, the boy’s father, “so I immediately dropped all my groceries and ran through the gate.”
While MacMillan’s father jumped in to help and dialed 911, Piquette gasped for air. The CPR had worked.
“I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him. He is an absolute hero, and he always will be,” said Piquette
“I am so proud of him; he is so brave,” said Christina MacMillan, the boy’s mother, “and I can’t even imagine being in that position.”
It was a position in which the student became the teacher.
“Don’t freak out, don’t panic, and try to learn from the situation and try to help the person,” said MacMillan.
“I’m so grateful for you, bud,” said Piquette as he hugged the boy.
The MacMillans said they plan to host a CPR class for friends and family and encourage others to do the same.
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