Teen Saves Navy Vet’s Life, Weeks Later Breaks Down When He Shows Up At School.

Lexi Lindsey may only be in high school, but she’s already proven more than capable of having a successful future in the medical field.

The teen is a senior at Bedford North Lawrence High School in Bedford, Indiana, but she’s also taking a course at the North Lawrence Career Center (NLCC) to learn about the different career paths in health care. As part of the class, Lexi has been trained in CPR, basic first aid, and how to respond in medical emergencies.

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All that training was probably the last thing on Lexi’s mind when, in early April, she and a friend drove to a Justin Timberlake Concert in Indianapolis. But on the way there, she noticed a car parked on the side of the road. The driver walked out into the path of traffic, clearly struggling and trying to get someone’s attention. “He started waving his arms and he fell to the ground,” Lexi said. “I screamed, ‘Stop the car!'”

Then she immediately ran over to him, called 911, and pulled him back onto the shoulder. The man managed to tell her he had an internal cardiac defibrillator. He’d suffered a heart attack a year earlier. Now he was suffering from heart arrhythmia, and began having a seizure as well. Using her training, Lexi rolled him onto his side and kept watch, ready to perform CPR if necessary. She stayed with the man and kept him alert and calm until an ambulance arrived. “He told me and the EMT told me that I saved his life,” she said. Afterwards, Lexi learned the man, Brian Putt, is a Navy veteran and a father of two.

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Brian learned Lexi’s name as well after recovering in the hospital. He wanted to meet the young woman who kept him alive, so he decided to make an unannounced visit to her NLCC classroom the following week. Brian walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers for his savior, who couldn’t help but burst into tears. She was just glad he was okay.

“I’ve seen grown men in the Navy break down in stressful situations,” Brian told the class, emphasizing his amazement at Lexi’s calm reaction in a crisis. He went on to say,

“What made you stop? It’s something called character. What is that? It’s doing the right thing when no one else will. I was disoriented from the shocks of the defibrillator, but as soon as I saw the car pull up, I had a sense of calm and I knew I’d be all right.”

Then he took out a very special pin featuring dolphins next to a submarine. These are an award presented to members of the Navy sub fleet. “For 20 years, I was a submarine guy. The proudest day of my submarine career was when I earned my dolphins. You’re not given these, you earn them. I was awarded them October 19, 1993,”he said. Then he presented it to Lexi and said, “You earned them.”

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Thanks to Lexi’s quick actions, Brian’s friends, family, and coworkers won’t have to live without their loved one. We can all agree Lexi is a hero, and will make an excellent nurse, doctor, or other medical professional.

Share this story to encourage others to learn lifesaving techniques. You never know when they’ll come in handy.