EAST HAVEN -- Enzo Bunce, 16, of East Haven rejects the notion that he is a hero, but after saving his mother’s life, that is how he is being hailed.
On Friday night, Bunce arrived in upstate New York with his family for a wrestling match. Shortly after checking into the hotel, Bunce’s mother complained of chest pains and collapsed. So, the teenager did what he knew what right -- he told his dad to call 911
and began CPR.
“I got down on my knees and I started chest compressions on her as I was waiting for EMS to arrive,” said Bunce. “I was doing it to the beat of the Bee Gees’ ‘Staying Alive.’” For the crucial 90 seconds it took for emergency responders to arrive, Enzo kept his mother alive.
He said he knew what to do and how to do it because he learned it in class.
“I think everyone should get the training and I also think more high schools should be teaching it as a health credit,” said Bunce. “People should take it more seriously because I potentially saved my mother’s life.”
“It’s important that all of our kids are prepared to be a first responder,” said Anthony Verderame, Athletic Director at East Haven High School. “The majority of the time, they’re gonna be helping one of their family members, a close friend.”
“Here he is in the biggest moment of his life,” said Mark Tolla, the school’s wrestling coach. “His mom drops right in front of him, and he steps up and saves his mom’s life. He amazes us everyday.”
After dealing with a dramatic family emergency, some might take the evening off. But not Bunce. He went on to win two out of three of his wrestling matches that night.
“I just want to be known as a person who knew what was right to do in the situation,” he said.
Bunce said his mother is doing much better, recovering at Yale-New Haven Hospital as doctors work to figure out what happened.