This Teenager Stopped To Revive A Dying Father But Weeks Later He Turned Up At Her School

This teenager stopped to revive a dying father, but weeks later, he turned up at her school. No doubt when high schooler Lexi Lindsay set out for a music concert, she didn't expect to save a life. However, when she saw a figure slump over the road, Lindsay didn't hesitate. And as her car stopped, she raced straight over to see if she could help. At first glance, there's little to connect Lindsay with Brian Putt. After all, she's a student at Bedford North Lawrence High School, BNL, and he's a U.S. Navy vet. Nevertheless, as Lindsay set out for a Justin Timberlake concert in April 2019, their paths crossed in a very serendipitous way. Putt, a father to two daughters, formerly served on a U.S. Navy submarine and currently works at the Naval Service Warfare Center Crane. But during a work-related visit to Florida, he endured some health problems. Specifically, doctors diagnosed him with an irregular heartbeat, better known as a heart arrhythmia. Arrhythmias can affect anyone of any age and come in five principal types. The most frequently occurring is the atrial fibrillation, AF, which results in a more rapid heartbeat. In addition to the heart's increase in beats per second, its rhythm also becomes inconsistent and unpredictable. Age and certain lifestyle choices increase the risk of AF. Supraventricular tachycardia, another kind of arrhythmia, causes a drastic increase in the sufferer's heartbeat even when they're inactive. Meanwhile, bradycardia is almost the polar opposite, because it actually slows down the sufferer's heart rhythms. In the case of heart block, which has similar symptoms, the speed shift can even make sufferers pass out. The final and most uncommon form of arrhythmia is called ventricular fibrillation. It is also arguably the most dangerous since its onset can quickly turn fatal. People with this kind of heart condition suffer from a rapid change in heartbeat frequency. The good news though is that there are ways to treat arrhythmias. For example, surgeons can implant arrhythmia sufferers with a cardioverter defibrillator ICD, which are similar to external ones. You are probably more familiar with paddle defibrillators that emit an electric current to shock a person's heart into restarting. Well, ICDs work in a very similar way, but they're inserted beneath the patient's skin. The ICD is implanted in the body, typically beneath the collarbone, and connected to the heart via wires. When it senses unusual heartbeat activity that could lead to a cardiac arrest, the device activates. It consequently administers an electric shock to correct the heart's arrhythmia without the aid of a manual defibrillator. And that's exactly what doctors did for Putt to help regulate his heart condition. In fact, he told the Times-Mail in April 2019 that initially the ICD functioned as it should. For a year, everything went perfectly, Putt revealed. However, he then experienced difficulties one day while he was out and about. At the same time, Lindsay was headed towards Indianapolis' Banker's Life Fieldhouse for a Justin Timberlake show. The singer's Man of the Woods performance had initially been scheduled for late 2018, but organizers postponed it when Timberlake damaged his vocal cords. They subsequently rearranged for April 2019, and Lindsay was on her way there when she saw something strange. As Lindsay and her companions passed through Monroe County, she saw a car pulled up alongside State Route 37. But she was more concerned about the man trying to climb the grass incline towards it. She could tell his progress was labored, and his condition only seemed to deteriorate further as she watched. He started waving his arms and he fell to the ground, Lindsay told the Times-Mail. I screamed, stop the car! Then as soon as the vehicle came to a halt, she took off at a sprint towards the fallen figure. Unknown to Lindsay at the time, the man was Putt, and he was suffering his first ICD-related problem since the implant. Putt was very lucky that Lindsay spotted him, in fact, since she'd had prior medical training. Indeed, the BNL senior is undertaking a course in healthcare. She signed up at Heidi Meier's Health Careers I, which is part of the North Lawrence Career Center NLCC for just that reason, and her main goal was to improve her future job options. In addition to opening Lindsay's eyes to future work opportunities, her tasks also covered medical training. To be more specific, the course included basic first aid, stop the bleed preparation, and CPR. Furthermore, Lindsay's coaching gave her the confidence to remain calm under pressure, which she put into practice with Putt. Lindsay called 911 during her dash towards the Putt, who had fallen onto the road. Consequently, her first instinct was to drag him towards the roadside, which was a challenge in and of itself. He was a pretty big guy, Lindsay recalled. The good news, though, was that Putt managed to cling onto consciousness. Although Putt was clearly distressed, he informed his rescuer that there was a problem with his heart. His ICD was sending shocks straight to it, in fact, which had caused his collapse. He was wearing a Fitbit, and I could see that his heart rate was extremely high, Lindsay explained. I was ready to do CPR if I had to. Other passers-by also noticed Putt's predicament and stopped to assist, including a gentleman wearing a high-visibility jacket. He helped Lindsay and Putt by warning oncoming traffic to keep a wide berth. But the high school senior was the only person present with any kind of medical background, so she stayed by Putt's side. Furthermore, thanks to her training, Lindsay knew what to do when Putt went into a seizure. I turned him on his side to keep his airway clear, she informed the Times Mail. Putt's Fit passed as they waited for emergency services, so Lindsay struck up a conversation to keep him calm. He told me he had a heart attack in 2018 and that he'd been feeling funky all day, Lindsay said of Putt. We called his wife to let her know what was going on. During all the commotion, though, Lindsay didn't even get her patient's name. However, without her, Putt might not be alive today. When the ambulance arrived, both Putt and medical staff informed Lindsay that her prompt action had made all the difference. He told me and the EMT told me that I had saved his life, Lindsay recalled. It was only afterwards, though, during her trip to the concert that the senior realized the importance of her actions. I cried later from the stress, Lindsay revealed. I'm so glad I knew what to do. If I hadn't had the class, I wouldn't have known what to do. Indeed, the teachers she later informed about the incident also agreed that her response was exemplary, and they told the Times-Mail as much. For example, NLCC's health careers and medical terminology teacher, Terry Briscoe, spoke very highly of Lindsay. Even if our students don't go into a health career, these classes introduce them to life skills, Briscoe explained. Because Lexi had taken the class, she was able to talk to him, tell him to take slow, deep breaths, which was very important. In addition, Lindsay's action impressed her tutor, Heidi Myers. I love that she had the frame of mind to do what she did, Myers said. She had the calm presence of mind and skills to take care of the man until help arrived. His identity remained a mystery to Lindsay, however, but she hoped he was recovering well. It turns out that Putt spent a couple days in hospital as doctors treated his heart using an ablation. It's a procedure that creates scar tissue on the heart muscles that are responsible for causing the patient's arrhythmia. There are two variations of it. Cryoblation freezes the target muscles and radiofrequency ablation burns them. In addition, the ablation also prevents any unwanted electrical impulses from triggering arrhythmia in the future. As a result of the treatment, Putt's ICD stopped shocking his heart and he returned to health. But he never forgot the young girl who saved his life, and it wouldn't be the last time that he'd see her. Some of Putt's work colleagues happen to be from Bedford, in fact, where his story reached the news. As a result, he eventually learned the name of his rescuer and then set out to thank her properly. The Navy vet paid a surprise visit to the NLCC during her class for just that reason. Indeed, Putt made quite an entrance for the unsuspecting senior, complete with a bouquet of flowers, and he was greeted with an emotional response from Lindsay, who couldn't believe her eyes. To be precise, she broke out in floods of tears as Putt wrapped her up in a grateful embrace. Putt passed on gratitude not only from himself, but also from the entirety of his family and friends. According to the Times Mail, the choked-up Lindsay replied, ''I'm just glad you're okay.'' The Navy vet then spent some time talking to his rescuer and her classmates about the events of the day. ''I wanted you to know that I'm more than just a bigger guy,'' the 6-foot-2-inch-tall Putt teased after reading Lindsay's description of him. He continued by revealing how seeing the article gave him an insight into Lindsay's point of view. Putt indicated that it reminded him of his own ''You're going down a path, and it gets altered,'' Putt continued. He also suggested that it wasn't just Lindsay's training that drove her reaction, either, although that was part of it. ''What made you stop? It's something called character,'' Putt told his audience. ''What is that? It's doing the right thing when no one else will.'' From the Navy vet's point of view, in fact, he thinks that Lindsay has done more than save his life. Putt believes that she's proven what young people are capable of when they rise to the occasion. ''You have so much character. You broke down a stereotype for your generation,'' Putt told Lindsay. ''You guys are eating Tide Pods,'' Putt joked to the assembled seniors. The Navy vet's underlying message was a serious one, though, and its relevance applied to everybody. ''Anyone in this room could be a hero,'' he elaborated. ''You don't have to save a life. If you see an elderly person in the store, help them with their groceries.'' The Times-Mail reported how Putt explained his condition to the class. He described his arrhythmia as ''basically your brain is telling your heart to do some crazy things.'' The vet went on to detail events after Lindsay left him with medical staff. What impressed Putt most of all, in fact, was the level-headedness that Lindsay displayed in the heat of the moment. ''I've seen grown men in the Navy break down in stressful situations,'' he told everyone. On that subject, Putt had one last token of gratitude for his rescuer, and some backstory was required to explain its significance. Putt began by explaining his naval background, and what he experienced when he first signed up. The first year of his service was spent aboard a submarine as a non-useful body NUB. That meant he couldn't interact with weapons. All he could do, in fact, was observe his superiors and familiarize himself with the vehicle's operation systems. At the end of that year, Putt endured a grueling knowledge test before he could claim success. ''For 20 years I was a submarine guy,'' he said. ''The proudest day of my submarine career was when I earned my dolphins.'' The dolphins that Putt mentioned are actually a reference to a U.S. Navy military insignia. It dates back to 1923 and was designed by commanding officers to enable seniority to be identified at a glance. The emblem itself comprises two dolphins at either side of a submarine at sea. Because of their diving and surfacing abilities, dolphins were deemed a fitting symbol for the submarine servicemen. Moreover, not only are dolphins nature's submarines, but sailors also consider the aquatic mammals as a patron of sorts. So, you can imagine what the insignia meant to Putt when, after his tribulations, officers presented him with it. Putt held up the pin and said, ''You're not given these, you earn them.'' ''I was awarded them October 19, 1993,'' the serviceman explained. The Times-Mail recounted how he then presented Lindsay with his pin, telling her, ''You earned them.'' No doubt Lindsay was overwhelmed by such an honor. ''I'm just glad to know I helped,'' she said, ''and that what I did actually meant something, and he's okay.''