A 16-year-old boy has been hailed a hero for stepping in and giving a younger teen CPR for 30 minutes during which time he "died twice" after stopping breathing by a popular reservoir.
Isaac Toon, a former Colne Valley High School pupil, said that he found the boy, aged around 13 or 14, having a fit on the banks of Sparth Reservoir, in Marsden, West Yorkshire, at around 6.30pm, on Monday.
"I was with some friends and just saw loads of people walking away and screaming, I thought it was like a fight or something. This guy was rolling about on the floor, dribbling and stuff," he said, reported YorkshireLive.
"I put him in the recovery position while someone rang for an ambulance. There were times when he stopped breathing but I kept going. Fortunately, I have done First Aid training with the Scouts. I must have given him CPR for 30 minutes. It was scary, there were times when he went cold and limp."
Isaac said that he had plenty of adrenaline as he was trying to save the youngster and knew that he couldn't afford to "panic".
"He died twice at the scene but we kept going, you can't panic, my adrenaline was pumping. It must have been 45 minutes before the emergency services arrived," he continued.
"There was a big crowd of people around us, maybe 150-200. I'm not sure what triggered his fit. I think he had been there for a few hours, it's an open water swimming area.
"Afterwards my friends asked if I was OK and later my dad Pete said how proud he was of me and my mum Marianne gave me a hug and started crying."
His outstanding performance drew an inundation of praise on the Marsden community Facebook page with more than 170 posting to say what a hero he was.
One woman said: "I want to pay public tribute to a 16-year-old who yesterday performed CPR and saved a life. What an absolute credit he is to his family and his community, and a reminder that it's always worth learning this life-saving skill.
"The more people who learn CPR, the better chance we have to keep each other safe. Credit to the Scouts too for having previously taught him the recovery position."
Another woman added: "Wow! Amazing. Bet his parents are proud of him" while further wrote: "Well done Isaac, what a lad!"
