Baguio teen student saves unconscious man, 64, by performing CPR

 Baguio teen student saves unconscious man, 64, by performing CPR

MANILA — Juan Carlos "JC" Sumbad, a 16-year-old resident of Barangay Pinget in Baguio City, earned praise for saving the life of a 64-year-old man who was found unconscious on December 4 by performing first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Juan Carlos, who was heading home from school, immediately jumped off the back of a jeepney after seeing the man lying face down on the street.

"Ang akala ko po noong una ay lasing but when I checked his pulse ay it was weak na po, and that’s when I started CPR," JC said in a video posted by the Baguio City Public Information Office.

(At first, I thought that he was drunk but when I checked his pulse, it was already weak. That’s the time I started CPR.)He also recounted that it was a busy street in Baguio where no one seemed to notice until he shouted for help.

Without hesitation, he conducted FAST — Face, Arms, Speech, and Time — method to quickly identify potential stroke symptoms before starting the actual CPR.

Juan Carlos is a student at the Special Education (SPED) Center of Easter College, where he learned Basic Life Support (BLS) and CPR through the institution’s disaster and emergency response program.

In a social media post, Easter College said takes pride in Juan Carlos’ selfless act of kindness toward the senior citizen.

“His [Juan Carlos] inspiring deed reminds us of the power of compassion and service to others. Truly, an inspiration to us all,” Easter College said in a statement.

Juan Carlos also believes that his act of kindness ought to be normalized and should not be something to boast about or share on the internet; instead, this kindness should be a normal thing in today’s generation.

“Kindness is free, and it should empower us. Kindness should not be an extraordinary act but should be a simple day-to-day act,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Victor Chua, son of the 64-year-old man that JC saved, expressed profound gratitude for JC’s heroic act of saving his father, who was since discharged from the intensive care unit and underwent a heart bypass operation at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.

Chua mentioned that medical responders informed him that his father would have passed away right there and then if not for JC’s quick thinking and response.

“I hope that the kid will be commended officially. I offered a cash reward, but he politely declined because he said kindness should be normalized,” Chua added.

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong also praised JC’s act of kindness, expressing pride in the 16-year-old’s outstanding character.

“Your compassion and love for others is commendable and worth emulating. We hope that more youth will follow your lead,” the mayor said.