During a basketball game in the USA, a young Pole, Szymon Koszyca, swiftly saved the life of an 18-year-old player who suddenly collapsed from a cardiac arrest. Due to the immediate and assertive response from Koszyca and another participant, the boy was successfully revived.
Szymon, who recently started attending Winston Salem Christian School in North Carolina, has become a local hero.
Szymon Koszyca, a 17-year-old Polish exchange student at Winston Salem Christian school in North Carolina, has made quite an impression in the two months he’s been there. Apparently, everyone at the school recognizes him, and they frequently thank him for his remarkable reaction. Koszyca dreamed of attending school in the United States primarily for the opportunity to play basketball, a sport he’s cherished since childhood. He believes the best basketball is played in the States. Unexpectedly, his decision to study abroad has led to him saving a life.
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Last Sunday, when 18-year-old Dejohn Blunt – known among friends as DJ – suddenly collapsed on the court during training, it was Szymon who reacted the fastest.
“Before I could figure out what was happening, DJ was lying in the middle of the field and the other players began to panic,” Szymon recalls.
“I was with him, trying to keep his attention. I spoke to him and he was shaking. Then his chest stopped moving,” recounts Szymon Koszyca, a Polish exchange student at Winston-Salem Christian School.
Immediately, Szymon summoned help and commenced cardiopulmonary resuscitation. As James, a fellow colleague from Australia, lent his assistance, they synchronously performed several resuscitation cycles before the arrival of the emergency services.
“I wasn’t scared for a second. I could never have come to terms with the fact that the DJ could die in my hands – says James Downie.”
Within approximately three minutes, Blunt began to breathe again, even before medical personnel could arrive. His peers’ swift response can be credited for saving his life.
Due to the prompt and decisive actions of the two boys, Dejohn’s life was saved. The entire incident unfolded in a matter of minutes, a period during which every second bore the value of gold in such dire circumstances. Szymon remembers learning the vital skill of resuscitation during safety education classes he took in Poland.
Up until Sunday, the boys were virtually unfamiliar with one another, but now they are united by a remarkable lifelong bond. “It brings us joy to announce that DJ’s condition has significantly improved and he’s currently recuperating. Today, James and Simon had the opportunity to visit DJ and relay their shared story to the local broadcasting channel, WFMY News 2”- according to the message in the school’s post.
Blunta still awaits a series of medical tests. The physicians are striving to determine the underlying cause of the cardiac arrest which took the 18-year-old athlete by surprise. However, the most reassuring news at this point is his steady recovery. “After a testing night in the emergency department, DJ’s condition has significantly improved. We feel an immense wave of gratitude that DJ is still amongst us. Our heartfelt thanks go out to James, Szymon, the medical rescuers, and the emergency department physicians,” we find posted on social media.
After almost a week-long hospital stay, Dejohn has successfully recuperated, although additional testing remains imperative. Concurrently, Szymon has plans to travel back to Poland for the holiday season, where he is certain to receive a warm reception from his family, friends, and his home club in Poznan.
