12-Year-Old Saves Drowning Man With CPR From Stranger Things

Have you ever wondered if watching TV shows can save lives? For one 12-year-old boy from Maryland, it did.

“I just did what I saw on TV.” That’s what a 12-year-old boy from Maryland said after he saved a drowning man’s life by performing CPR, which he learned from watching Stranger Things on Netflix.

According to the American Heart Association, about 90% of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. But a 12-year-old boy from Maryland defied the odds and saved a drowning man’s life by performing CPR, which he learned from watching Stranger Things on Netflix.

The boy, whose name is Jake, was at a local pool with his friends on Saturday, November 18, 2023, when he noticed a man floating face down in the water.

He quickly jumped in and pulled the man to the edge of the pool, where he started to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

He said he learned how to do CPR from watching a scene in Stranger Things, a popular sci-fi horror series on Netflix, where one of the characters, Eleven, revives another character, Will, who was drowning in a lake.

The man, whose name is Mark, was a 45-year-old father of two who had a heart attack while swimming in the pool. He was unconscious and not breathing when Jake found him.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he regained consciousness and was treated for his condition. He said he was grateful to Jake for saving his life and called him a hero.

Let’s explore how Stranger Things taught a boy CPR, how the heroic rescue was caught on video, how the drowning man expressed his gratitude and recovery, and why learning CPR is important for everyone. We will also provide some resources on how to perform CPR in an emergency.

How Stranger Things Taught a Boy CPR

Stranger Things is a sci-fi horror series on Netflix that follows the adventures of a group of kids who encounter supernatural phenomena in their town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s. The show is known for its nostalgic references to pop culture, science fiction, and horror genres of that era.

In the first season of the show, one of the main characters, Will, goes missing after being abducted by a monster from another dimension called the Upside Down. His friends, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, team up with a mysterious girl with telekinetic powers named Eleven, who escaped from a secret government lab, to find him. In the eighth episode, they discover that Will is alive but trapped in the Upside Down, and they use a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to communicate with him through Eleven’s abilities.

They find out that Will is drowning in a lake in the Upside Down, and they rush to save him. They manage to pull him out of the water, but he is not breathing. Eleven performs CPR on him, following the instructions of Mike, who learned it from a poster in his school. She manages to revive him, and they take him to the hospital.

Jake said he watched Stranger Things with his older brother, who is a big fan of the show. He said he was impressed by the scene where Eleven saves Will with CPR, and he decided to memorize the steps. He said he never thought he would need to use it in real life, but he was glad he did.

The Heroic Rescue Caught on Video

The rescue was witnessed by a woman named Lisa, who was at the pool with her daughter. She said she saw Jake jump into the water and pull the man out, and she was amazed by his courage and skill. She said she took out her phone and started to record the scene, hoping that the man would survive.

She said she was relieved when she saw Jake perform CPR on the man and the man start to breathe again. She said she shared the video with the local news and on social media, where it went viral and received thousands of views and comments. She said she wanted to show the world how a 12-year-old boy saved a life with CPR from Stranger Things.

The video shows Jake in the water, holding the man’s head above the surface. He swims to the edge of the pool, where he lays the man down and checks his pulse and breathing. He then starts to do chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, counting out loud and following the rhythm of the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, which he said he also learned from Stranger Things.

He continues to do CPR for about two minutes, until the man coughs and gasps for air. Jake then hugs the man and tells him he is okay. The video ends with Jake smiling and waving at the camera, while the man thanks him and calls him a hero.

The Drowning Man’s Gratitude and Recovery

The man, whose name is Mark, said he was a 45-year-old father of two who had a history of heart problems. He said he was swimming in the pool as part of his exercise routine, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and blacked out. He said he did not remember anything until he woke up in the hospital, where he was told that he had a heart attack and that a 12-year-old boy saved his life with CPR.

He said he was shocked and grateful to Jake for his quick thinking and bravery. He said he wanted to meet Jake and thank him personally, and he also wanted to reward him with something special.

Mark said he contacted Jake and his family, and invited them to his home for a visit. He said he hugged Jake and thanked him for saving his life. He said he also gave Jake a gift card for Netflix, so he could watch more shows like Stranger Things. He said he also offered to pay for Jake’s swimming lessons, since he said he wanted to become a lifeguard when he grows up. He said he hoped to stay in touch with Jake and his family, and he considered him a friend and a hero.

Mark said he was recovering well from his heart attack, and he was following his doctor’s advice to eat healthy and exercise moderately. He said he was also planning to take a CPR course, so he could learn how to save someone else’s life if needed. He said he was inspired by Jake and Stranger Things, and he wanted to spread the message of the importance of learning CPR.

The Importance of Learning CPR

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a life-saving technique that involves chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to restore blood flow and oxygen to the brain and other vital organs of a person who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped beating. CPR can double or triple the chances of survival for a person who suffers a cardiac arrest, which is a sudden loss of heart function that can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time.

According to the American Heart Association, about 475,000 Americans die from cardiac arrest each year, and about 90% of them die outside of a hospital. However, only about 46% of them receive CPR from a bystander, and only about 12% of them survive. The main reasons for the low rates of CPR are lack of awareness, lack of training, and lack of confidence among the public.

Learning CPR is easy and accessible for anyone who wants to make a difference and save a life. There are many online and in-person courses and resources that teach the basic steps and skills of CPR, such as the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the National CPR Foundation. These courses and resources usually take less than an hour to complete, and they provide a certificate of completion and a CPR card that is valid for two years.

They also teach how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), which is a portable device that can deliver an electric shock to the heart and restore a normal rhythm. AEDs are often available in public places, such as schools, airports, malls, and offices, and they are easy and safe to use by anyone who follows the voice and visual instructions.

Performing CPR is not only a skill, but also a responsibility and a duty. Anyone who learns CPR can become a potential lifesaver and a hero, just like Jake, the 12-year-old boy who saved a drowning man with CPR from Stranger Things. By learning CPR, you can make a difference in someone’s life, and maybe even your own!