Lexi Lindsey is a senior at Bedford North Lawrence High School in Bedford, Indiana. Lexi is also taking a course at the North Lawrence Career Center in health care. As part of the classes curricular, Lexi has been trained in CPR, basic first aid, and how to respond in medical emergencies.
In early April, Lexi and a friend drove to a Justin Timberlake Concert in Indianapolis. On their way there she noticed a car parked on the side of the road. The driver walked out into traffic trying to get someone’s attention.
“He started waving his arms and he fell to the ground,” Lexi said. “I screamed, ‘Stop the car!’”
Lex ran over to him, called 911 on her phone, and pulled him back onto the shoulder of the road. The man, who’s name was Brian, was able to tell her he had an internal cardiac defibrillator. He had suffered a heart attack a year earlier and now he was suffering from heart arrhythmia, and was having a seizure as well. Using her training, Lexi rolled him onto his side and watched him, ready to perform CPR at any moment. She stayed with him and kept him calm until the ambulance finally arrived.
“He told me and the EMT told me that I saved his life,” she said.
After the incident, Lexi learned the man, Brian Putt, is a Navy veteran and a father of two.
Brian found out Lexi’s name after recovering in the hospital. He wanted to meet the young lady who kept him alive, so he decided to make a visit to her North Lawrence Career Center classroom the following week. Brian walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers.
“I’ve seen grown men in the Navy break down in stressful situations,” Brian told the class, talking about Lexi’s calm demeanor during a crisis.
“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.”
Brian then 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.”
Thanks to her quick actions, her quick thinking, and her amazing character, Brian’s friends and family have him in their lives a little while longer.
