He Learned CPR in P.E. Class Two Weeks Before His Dad Had a Heart Attack. Then He Used It.

Two weeks before June 26th, John Abkemeier Jr. was sitting in a P.E. class at Jupiter High School learning CPR.

He didn't think much of it at the time. Most students don't.

Then his dad's heart stopped.

The family was home in Palm Beach Gardens, watching soccer on a Friday evening, when John Abkemeir — John Jr.'s father — felt something wrong. He slumped to the side on the couch. The lights went out.

"I fell kind of to the side on the couch, the lights just went out on me," Abkemeir recalled. "The next thing I know, I wake up in the ambulance with the paramedics."

What happened in between — he didn't know until he got to the hospital.

His son had saved his life.

Three minutes of CPR

The moment his father collapsed, John Jr. didn't freeze. He got his dad off the couch and onto the floor and started compressions.

"I got my dad off the couch, onto the ground, and started doing CPR for about three minutes," he said. "Then the ambulance came and took over. Thankfully, my dad was okay."

Three minutes. That's it. That's the window between the two of them — and it made all the difference.

When paramedics reached the father, they asked what happened. He didn't know. They told him: your son just saved your life.

"They told me your son saved your life with CPR," Abkemeir said.

"He had his training, trusted it, and applied it"

Jupiter High P.E. coach Ben Kennerson had taught the CPR unit just two weeks before the incident. He found out what happened and had one word for it.

Phenomenal.

"It's incredible to know that he rose to the occasion," Coach Kennerson said. "He had his training, trusted it, and applied it. That's phenomenal."

John Jr. was recently honored with the Heart Saver Hero Award by the American Heart Association — recognition he accepted graciously. But when asked what the real reward was, he didn't mention the award.

"I'm glad he's proud of me," he said. "I love my dad."

His father didn't search for complicated words either.

"He saved my life, so he's my hero."

Why this matters beyond one family

CPR is taught across Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast high schools. At Jupiter High, students learn it in P.E., history, and science classes. This story is a direct reminder of why.

Cardiac arrest survival rates drop by 10% for every minute without CPR. Most people who have a heart attack at home — away from a hospital — don't survive. John Jr. knew what to do, and he did it.

Jupiter High produced a Heart Saver Hero this summer. He's been there all along — sitting in your kid's P.E. class.

Source: WPTV