Crime & Safety
Teens Save A Life, Earn Honors
Meet the Lakes High students who saved a life using skills they learn from West Pierce Fire & Rescue.
When Leo Castro collapsed on the floor of the basketball gym at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Farwest Drive June 11, five Lakes High School students reacted with urgency, not fear.
By dialing 911 immediately and performing effective CPR, they saved the 48-year-old Castro’s life. Today, he is almost fully recovered from the cardiac episode.
But neither he, nor the students who acted so quickly, have forgotten that day.
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For their efforts, Jordan Johnson, Luis Roque, Dorshawn Suttle, Sapa Doiron and J. Slaughter received Citizen Life Saving Awards from West Pierce Fire and Rescue on Wednesday.
Not coincidentally, Suttle and Roque had both taken a CPR class offered by West Pierce at Lakes.
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Because the CPR was so effective, the paramedics were able to establish a heart rhythm soon after they arrived and shocked Castro with the defibrillator. Then they took him to the hospital.
On Wednesday, the department lauded the young men for setting a “perfect example of the American Heart Association’s Chain of Survival.”
Watch the video to hear the students recall that evening and talk about what spurred them to act so quickly.
And for those who are interested, CPR classes are available at local fire departments and listed on West Pierce’s calendar, including one July 20 at Station 20, 10928 Pacific Hwy SW in Lakewood.
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