A first responder who couldn't save a college student after he collapsed in class shared a heartbreaking letter about the incident on his Facebook page.
"I did everything I was ever trained to do but I was unsuccessful. The image of his face as I gave him his last breaths and pumped his chest will never leave me," Manny Orozco Ballestas wrote. "I am sorry I failed you. I'm sorry you lost your life so soon."
Importantly, the University of Central Florida senior also stressed how crucial it is for people to know how to perform CPR, the lifesaving technique a police officer in Mexico used to resuscitate a young boy.
He also made a big promise to the family of the 18-year-old who passed away, Michael Namey.
"I will work everyday [sic], as a student of UCF, an individual of society, and hopefully one day as a politician, to assure that what happened to your son can be prevented in schools nationwide. Whether it be by spreading the importance of knowing CPR, adding more AED machines to schools, I will make his life meaningful somehow, someway," he wrote. "I promise."
Read the full story and full letter below…
Manny Orozco Ballestas was waiting for class to start one day when he heard students screaming for an AED machine.
Being CPR-certified by the American Heart Association, the University of Central Florida senior ran to the scene. That's where he saw 18-year-old Michael Namey collapsed on the floor and so he started to perform chest compressions.
Unfortunately, he didn't get there soon enough.
The next day he received a call from the dean telling him that Namey (pictured below) had passed away.
The moment devastated him.
"I was in pretty bad shape. I was expecting it, but at the same time I was still hopeful because he was kept in the hospital and when I got that call it was kind of like getting a call about someone in my family," Orozco Ballestas told ABC.
In turn, he shared a heartbreaking message on his Facebook page to share his sorrow.
But, he also included a plea to get people to understand the importance of being CPR and AED trained.
Orozco Ballestas also started a GoFundMe page to help the Namey family with any financial burden. The goal is to raise $15,000.
Orozco Ballestas' Facebook message stresses the importance of knowing the lifesaving techniques mentioned above. Had someone assisted the teenager soon, he might still be alive.
Please SHARE to help spread awareness and to encourage people to go get certified.
