One Saturday, a few weeks before Keith Rex (‘26) was set to receive his Eagle Scout Award, he woke up to one of the toughest moments of his life. His grandfather was unresponsive.
“It was maybe seven or eight o’clock. My grandmother was panicking, and woke me up. Then she told me she was on the phone with 911 and handed it to me, saying she didn’t know what to do,” Rex said.
Rex took the phone. The 911 Operator asked if he knew how to administer CPR. Despite his fear at the moment, Rex responded with a firm “yes.” The dispatcher guided him through administering compressions and breaths.
“After that, he started breathing. ” Rex recalled. “We were all happy,” When the ambulance arrived, the team ran upstairs and gave Rex’s grandfather a breathing mask. “We went to the hospital and stayed with him.”
Rex credits his learning at Boy Scouts, a branch of the national organization Scouting America, for saving his grandfather. He has been part of Scouting since he was five.
“Even though I was scared, I remembered all the training that I did because in Boy Scouts, we go through lots of medical training and first aid in general,” he said.
Several weeks following this incident, his heroic feat was recognized at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony. Assistant Principal Mr. Ernie Covington was in attendance. He shared Rex’s story with faculty members.
Rex felt changed after the incident. “I would say it really helped me feel more confident.”
Rex believes his relationship with his grandfather since then has changed.
“Saving his life made us closer, and he really thanks me for that. Every time I see him we talk a little about it, and he says because of me, he gets to live another day longer.”
