A 16-year-old Boy Scout helped save a man’s life on Mackinac Island even though he struggles with asthma himself.
We never know when God will ask us to step up and help someone. Sometimes He calls us to act even when we face our own challenges and fears.
Kenny Recor was visiting Mackinac Island with his Boy Scout troop when everything changed in an instant.
A tourist suddenly collapsed near Fort Mackinac and went into cardiac arrest. The man was dying, and every second counted.
An off-duty nurse who was walking nearby jumped into action right away. She started doing CPR on the collapsed man while others looked for help. But they needed more than just CPR to save this man’s life.
That’s when Kenny stepped up. The 16-year-old Honor Scout knew they needed an automated external defibrillator fast.
The problem was the AED sat at the top of Fort Mackinac, up a steep hill. And Kenny has asthma, which makes breathing hard even on good days.
“I was breathing heavily, but it didn’t feel like I was getting oxygen to my lungs. But someone was actively dying, and I knew I had to act,” Kenny said.
He ran up that hill as fast as he could. His lungs burned and his breathing got worse with each step. But Kenny kept going because a man’s life hung in the balance.
When Kenny got back with the AED, he handed it to his scout leader, who knew how to use it.
While the nurse continued CPR, the scout leader operated the device to help bring the man back to life.
Together, they saved the tourist before paramedics arrived.
Kenny learned emergency response skills through a Boy Scout merit badge course. His training kicked in when someone needed help most.
WATCH: Brave Boy Scout with Asthma Races Uphill to Save Tourist
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