Memphis, TN – Orthodox Jewish Teenage Runner Sacrifices Win to Save a Life

Memphis, TN – Seth Goldstein, a 17-year-old senior at Cooper Yeshiva High, a small Orthodox Jewish school in East Memphis, was in the middle of a cross country race when he put his chance of winning aside to help save a life. Halfway through the event, one of his fellow competitors, a student from Germantown, fell to the ground and began seizing, according to a report in Knoxville News (http://bit.ly/SgGkQF).

“His lips were turning blue and his eyes were rolled back in his head,” Goldstein recalled. “I was terrified. But then I thought to myself, freaking out isn’t going to help any here. I’m a lifeguard. It was obvious he needed help.”

Goldstein jumped into action, telling one parent to call 911, another to get ice, while reassuring still others, as the Germantown boy bled from his mouth. “He had bitten his tongue and was bleeding pretty bad,” said Goldstein. “I feared he was going to choke on his blood. I rolled him on his side so he wouldn’t asphyxiate.”

As the boy continued seizing over and again, Goldstein stayed calm, and when the boy stopped convulsing, Goldstein comforted him, telling him, “You’re going to be OK. We’re here. We’re with you. You’re going to be OK.” By this time, an ambulance had arrived and the EMTs determined that the Germantown boy fell ill from the heat.

Goldstein resolved to finish the race he started, and as soon as the boy was stable and in the care of the EMTs, Goldstein ran the rest of the race. He was the last one on the course. “Everyone was clapping for me, like I was the chunky kid who couldn’t finish,” he said. “They were all cheering and saying, ‘You can do it!’ I’m thinking, ‘C’mon, man!’”

Goldstein finished the race in a little over 32 minutes, the slowest he has ever run, but he says it’s his personal best.