BOUNTIFUL, Utah (KUTV) – A nurse in Utah saved the life of a 17-year-old boy who suffered a sudden heart attack.

Brayden Arland never expected to end up in the hospital the day after his 17th birthday.

Brayden Arland was playing with friends when he suffered a heart attack, his father, James Arland, said.

“I fell down clutching my chest, got up and fell again, but I was saved by hitting my face against a brick wall,” James Arland said.

Around the same time, Chief Nursing Officer Tiffany Bears was walking home from work when she saw a group of friends.

“I saw a group of boys and one of them was on the ground and I knew I had to turn around,” she said.

She got out of the car and helped Brayden Arland, and when she got up, she said he was not breathing.

“I rolled him over and just started doing compressions,” Bears said. “It was difficult because I have a 16-year-old son.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Brayden Arland was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The disease can “thicken the heart muscle,” making it “difficult for the heart to pump blood.”

James Erland said he and his son both love fishing and are glad his son didn’t learn of his symptoms while they were deep in the mountains on a fishing trip.

He also has advice to give to other parents who are worried about their children.

“If you don’t know CPR, sign up for a course,” he said.

Behrs said starting compressions as soon as possible will help someone facing a health emergency.

The Erlands are now grateful that the Bears stepped in with their medical knowledge.

“We’re all living hard, difficult lives right now, everywhere,” Bears said. “And if we can help someone, please stop and do that.”

Copyright 2024 KUTV, via CNN News Source. All rights reserved.