Daniel Beahan, 13, an eighth-grader at Regina Coeli School in Hyde Park, said he was getting ready for bed when his family heard thrashing sounds coming from his grandfather’s room downstairs.
Daniel Beahan the Saviour
It was Sept. 9 around 9:40 p.m.
Daniel’s grandfather, Edward Robertson, 80, lost consciousness and went into respiratory arrest.
The teen’s father, Joseph Beahan, called 911, and Daniel quickly went to work performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
A dispatcher instructed the family to move Robertson from the bed onto a hard surface, like the floor, Joseph Beahan said.
Daniel doesn’t remember how long he performed CPR, but after a short while, his grandfather began labored breathing .
A few minutes later, state police arrived with an automated external defibrillator device.
Robertson was connected to the device, but it said no shock was advised because his heart was beating, Daniel said. His grandfather’s pacemaker was probably a factor in that, he said.
Robertson regained consciousness in the ambulance, en route to the hospital, he said.
Joseph Beahan, the buildings administrator for the Dutchess County Department of Public Works, said his son and his father-in-law have always been very close.
“You wonder how your kids will react in an emergency situation,” Beahan said. “He got in there and did exactly what he needed to do.
“His grandfather’s here because of him,” he said. “He thanks him every day.”
Daniel was certified in CPR by the American Heart Association through a course taught by the Heart Safe Club in Rhinebeck.
“We’re proud of him, that he put the skills to use,” Forbes said. “He acted quickly and didn’t just sit by.”
