Hudson Valley Teen Honored For Using CPR to Save Friend’s Life

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus honored a 14-year-old from Orange County for saving his friend's life by using CPR.

County Executive Neuhaus along with officials from the Town of Chester joined together to honor 14-year-old Chester resident, Ty'Shawn James on Wednesday, April 14. James used life-saving measures to save his friend who collapsed while playing basketball at Chester Elementary School. The incident occurred on Saturday, March 27, 2021.

When his friend suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed, James called 911 and the dispatcher, Stewart Matthew, instructed him on how to administer CPR on his friend. After a few minutes, his friend began breathing and paramedics arrived at the scene. The young man, who has congenital heart disease, was rushed to Westchester Medical Center where he underwent surgery. He is still recovering.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said:

We are proud of Ty’Shawn’s heroics and the wonderful work that our 911 dispatchers perform every day. Ty’Shawn is a kind and caring young man, and certainly has a bright future ahead of him. We all have been touched by this story and are grateful that Ty’Shawn’s friend is expected to make a full recovery

James was able to meet with the dispatcher that assisted him in saving his friend's life at the Town of Chester's Board Meeting on Wednesday evening. Dispatcher Matthew said:

For a child contacting 911, you couldn’t have asked for a better caller than Ty’Shawn. You could hear it in his voice that he was calm and could follow directions. I prayed for the family of the boy who collapsed after we hung up and I am glad that everything worked out. I was happy that I could be on that call with Ty’Shawn