Taking Monday off of school for a holiday didn’t prove to be the usual fun and relaxing day for two Round Rock juniors. Tyler Ludemann and Nick Goodrum found themselves in an unexpected situation that forced them to think quick on their feet while facing the immense pressure of being the deciding factor of someone’s life. On Jan. 21, the two juniors were enjoying their Monday off of school when the unexpected happened.

“Nick and I were hanging in his front yard when a man ran up to us and started screaming for help,” Ludemann said, “He said a man had collapsed so Nick called 911 while I ran over to the man to start chest compressions. After about a minute of compressions he took a deep breath so I stopped for a second because I thought he was coming back into consciousness. Shortly after I realized he wasn’t coming back into consciousness so I continued doing chest compressions for another five minutes until the EMS showed up.”

Because of the boys heroic actions, the 57-year-old victim was kept alive long enough for paramedics to arrive. After the man was taken to the hospital, the two boys learned from the Round Rock Fire Battalion Chief, Lewis King, that if they had not raced to the man’s aid and properly performed CPR than the victim might have been at risk of never seeing his wife and two daughters ever again. In the following days the two boys got an opportunity to meet the man’s family.

“Meeting the gentleman’s family was amazing.” Ludemann said. “Nick and I got to see that we didn’t only save this man’s life, but instead we got to see a family still had a dad.”

That same day Nick and Tyler were awarded the prodigious Challenge Coin, a small coin or medallion that symbolizes praise for their courageous actions. Goodrum and Ludemann received three Challenge Coins. The Round Rock Fire Department, Swat team, and the gentleman who collapsed gave each boy a coin.

The two students originally learned CPR through their high school to meet the requirements for a student parking pass. Little did they know they’d eventually end up using what they had learned, and in doing so save someone’s life.

“This experience is going to live on with us forever. CPR is a great thing to learn and at first we didn’t take it seriously when we should have, but it doesn’t take being certified. It just helps to know what to do when you might need it. It’s crazy that someone can lose their life in the blink of an eye and you can go from having fun to a life or death situation in an hour.”