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NEW CANAAN, Conn. Most of us don't think about breathing. But New Canaan Police Officer Jason Kim will forever remember a single breath from a 14-year-old boy in Waveny Park whose life he helped to save.
It was a deep breath. It was the loudest breath Ive ever heard, Kim said of the first sound the teenager from Florida made as he recovered after passing out last Thursday in Waveny Park during a race.
Kim, a five-year New Canaan police veteran, responded to the park at about 8 p.m. last Thursday for an unknown medical emergency near the Spencers Run dog park. A woman flagged him down and said the boy was not breathing and had no pulse. A woman who works at Stamford Hospital, who Kim did not know, had started performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Kim used an automatic external defibrillator, carried in every New Canaan police car, to restart the boys heart. He followed the machine's instructions on shocking the boy. All (of his) muscles contracted at once, Kim said. The machine then instructed Kim to continue with compressions. Kim stopped after he felt the boys heart beating and heard him breathe.
Kim admitted the scene was surreal and scary at times, but he said he had a job to do and focused on helping the boy until paramedics arrived. Kim said he was relieved that the treatment worked and that the boy responded. He was taken to Norwalk Hospital for treatment and later transferred to Westchester Medical Center. Thank God for that training, and it worked out that the way it did, Kim said. You just do it because thats what youre supposed to do.
Although Kim is acknowledged as a hero, the officer gives credit to everyone who helped to revive the boy and the medical professionals who cared for him on the way to the hospital. And as the father of a 2-year-old son, Kim says hes thankful that the boy is still alive.
What do you think of New Canaan Police Officer Jason Kims actions to save the 14-year-old boys life? Let us know by leaving a comment below. You can also discuss this story on our Facebook page.
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