Young boy gets CPR 'superpower' from Netflix show, uses knowledge to save drowning man

People may have gained a life lesson or two from web series. But it is rare for people to learn a life-saving medical technique to save someone's life. Rare, but it happened. A 12-year-old boy Austen saved the life of his 30-year-old registered behaviour technician’s by using the CPR technique he had picked up from the Netflix series Stranger Things.

What's more heartening is that his mother, who was not so proud of his child watching the series, also gave him a pat on his back appreciating his actions.

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In a conversation with the Guardian media outlet, Austen's mother Christina Macmillan said, “I was a little hesitant about him watching it,” pointing to the show’s science fiction-horror premise. “But I’m definitely glad that I let him.”

What happened that day?

The incident took place on September 4 at Austin's house in Wellington, Florida. Behaviour technician Piquette and the boy were taking a swim. It was part of the nearly 20 hours of work they do. The duo engaged in a breath-holding competition seeing who could do it for longer.

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However, after a while, Austin started to note that during one of the rounds, the time watch on Piquette's turn exceeded full five minutes.

Austen told ABC7 media outlet, “I knew that was way too long."

“He cannot do that,” he added.

In a bid to tackle the dangerous situation Austen found himself in, he tried using Piquette's phone but could not do so due to some security lock put on it.

He then started yelling, “Someone help!”

At one point, Austen recalled how Winona Ryder and David Harbour gave CPR to Noah Schnapp in an episode ofStranger Things, a web series that involves a group of young friends and shows supernatural forces in play.

Only about a few minutes, Austen was successfully able to revive Piquette. When Austen’s father returned home, he rushed Piquette to hospital where he recovered soon.

'My little superhero'

Talking about the creators of the show, Macmillan said, “It was definitely really smart of them.”

“He’s my little superhero,” Macmillan told the Guardian.

“It shows he’s more capable than what a lot of people give him credit for – and what he gives himself credit for.”

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