Acquedius Smith was flush with joy after recently helping to save the life of a fellow Charleston resident.
He recounted the event in a post on his Facebook page and in an email to The Sun-Sentinel.
The incident occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, according to Smith’s written account.
Smith, 26, was parking his car at his grandmother’s house, where he also lives, when he saw a next-door neighbor, 64-year-old James White, fall “face first out the back door of his house.”
Smith said he rushed over to White’s East Holly Street residence, lifted him and then managed to get him into the house.
“After a while, he began to lose consciousness, his breathing began to fade and his eyes started to roll upward,” Smith recounted.
Having learned CPR while attending Mississippi Valley State University, Smith called upon that training in this potential life-or-death situation.
“I began chest compressions and eventually we saw him gaining consciousness!” Smith noted.
He said a Yalobusha County Advanced Life Support Team ambulance crew arrived to treat and transport the man, who survived the harrowing ordeal.
“I was declared a life saver by both an officer and the ambulance lady,” Smith noted, adding, “When I tell y’all this is one of the best feelings ever! I saved a life! God is good!”
As of Tuesday, Smith’s initial Facebook post about the incident had received 584 likes, 83 comments and 32 shares.
Several comments came from people who said they are family members of White.
A woman who identified herself as White’s daughter expressed her deep gratitude and added that she hoped God would bless Smith “ten fold.”
IN THE PHOTO: Acquedius Smith pauses for a photo in front of an ambulance after helping to save the life of a 64-year-old Charleston man who had suffered a medical emergency at his Holly Street home. (Photo special to The Sun-Sentinel)
