Western N.Y. teen saves stepfather with CPR learned in school

Western N.Y. teen saves stepfather with CPR learned in school

CPR is one of the skills you never want to have to use, or never think you will.

“We were in health class. It was a unit we were doing,” recalled 15-year-old Anthony Killinger.

A lesson was all it was, until it wasn’t.

“It was a standard day,” said Michael Reese, Anthony’s stepfather. “I was going to go to bed and it was probably about 9 at night and, next thing you know, I woke up [and] I was in the emergency room at Buffalo General Hospital.”

Anthony and his mom, Jennifer, woke up to the sounds of their dogs barking.

“I looked at the bottom of the stairs and his head was laying right there on the ground, and his feet were up on the third stair," Jennifer recalled. "He was making a gurgling sound, very clammy, eyes rolled back, completely non-responsive.”

With 911 on the line, it was up to them to start compressions.

“In that moment, I didn't know what to do. And he's like, 'Mom, it's OK, I got this,'” recalled Jennifer.

For the next eight minutes, Anthony did CPR on his stepfather, Michael.

“I wasn't really tired. I was just worried," recalled Anthony. "But I had to get with my senses saying, 'He's going to die if I don't do this.' So I just kept doing it, no matter what.”

Michael was fading in and out.

“Eight minutes is a very long time when you're in that moment. It felt like 800 minutes,” said Jennifer.

“I can only imagine, that’s a workout," added Michael. "I give him a lot of credit.”

Eventually, help got there.

Michael’s heart was shocked two times and he was taken to the hospital and on the road to recovery. He was given a 9% chance of living and an even lower chance of not having brain damage.

“The nurses kept saying this was a divine intervention," said Jennifer. "They [have] very rarely seen somebody like this end up the way he was, let alone hearing a story of a 15-year-old doing what he did.”

It’s been an inspiration.

“Research shows that if you have to give CPR, you're more than likely going to have to give it to a loved one,” said Jennifer.

Jennifer got certified herself and they advocate for others to do the same. Even pushing for training like her son had to be in other schools.

“I mean, he would probably not be here if it wasn't for that health class,” she said.

As for Michael, life looks a little different, but he’s still living it thanks to Anthony.

“It's a blessing. It's a miracle,” Michael said. “He's definitely a hero. Saved my life.”