When 14-year-old Ryan Long woke up for a regular day in upstate New York, he did not expect to be the difference between life and death for his grandmother. By that night, Michelle was calling her grandson her “living life saver,” and crediting a nurse on FaceTime with helping him keep her alive long enough for doctors to take over. It was a family emergency that turned into a crash course in what quick thinking, clear coaching and a little technology can do.
The story that unfolded in their Beekmantown home is equal parts terrifying and hopeful, a reminder that CPR is not just for professionals and that a smartphone can be more than a distraction. Ryan’s calm under pressure, the guidance from nurses watching through a screen and the determination of a grandmother who refused to give up combined into a chain of survival that worked exactly the way experts hope it will.
The Moment Everything Went Wrong
Ryan Long was at home with his grandmother Michelle when she mentioned she was not feeling right, a vague complaint that suddenly turned serious when she collapsed and stopped breathing. According to reports from Ryan Long’s family, there was no time to process what was happening, only a split second to decide what to do next. In that instant, the eighth grader grabbed his phone, not to scroll or text, but to reach out for help.
He called his grandfather, Charlie Hunt, who was already at the local hospital, and that one decision set off the chain that would save Michelle’s life. Charlie quickly connected Ryan to staff at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, turning a panicked family call into a live video link with professionals who knew exactly how to respond. In a matter of moments, the teenager’s living room in Clinton County, N.Y., was effectively connected to an emergency room through FaceTime, with Ryan suddenly at the center of a very real medical crisis involving his grandmother, Michelle, and the fact that she had simply stopped breathing, as later described in coverage of how Ryan grabbed his phone when She went unresponsive.
FaceTime, A Waiting Room Nurse And “Start CPR”
On the other end of that call, in the hospital waiting area, CVPH nurse Linda Dumbuya heard a kid screaming and then a man’s voice saying, “Start CPR.” That man was Charlie Hunt, Ryan’s grandfather, who was on FaceTime with his grandson and desperate to get him help. Through the phone, Linda Dumbuya and her colleagues could see Ryan and his grandmother on the floor, and they immediately shifted into coaching mode. The distance between Clinton County and that Beekmantown living room suddenly shrank to the size of a smartphone screen.
Linda and the other nurses did not just shout instructions, they walked Ryan through the basics of chest compressions in real time, watching his hand placement and the rise and fall of Michelle’s chest. One of the nurses suggested humming the 1970s hit song “Stayin’ Alive” to keep the compressions at the right pace, a classic CPR trick that Jan and other nurses say helps nonprofessionals keep the rhythm steady. With Charlie holding the phone and Linda watching closely, the command to “Start CPR” turned into a steady stream of encouragement and corrections that kept Ryan going.
Ten Minutes Of CPR From A Fourteen-Year-Old
CPR is exhausting even for trained adults, and Ryan Long is 14. Yet he kept pressing on his grandmother’s chest for nearly 10 minutes, guided by the nurses who refused to let him quit. Reports describe how On December 30, 2025, in that Beekmantown home, he followed every instruction, even as his arms shook and the situation felt overwhelming. The nurses could see his fatigue through the screen and kept telling him not to stop, reminding him that every compression was buying Michelle more time.
That persistence mattered. Medical staff later credited those minutes of CPR with keeping oxygen flowing to Michelle’s brain until first responders arrived. In coverage of the incident, one account notes that Ryan Long stayed on the floor with his grandmother, counting out compressions and listening to every cue from the hospital. It was not polished textbook CPR, but it was effective, and that is the point professionals keep stressing when they talk about bystander response.
From Terrifying Night To “Living Life Saver”
Once paramedics took over and Michelle was transported for further care, the family finally had a moment to process what had just happened. In the days that followed, Michelle did not mince words about who kept her alive. She called her grandson her “living life saver” and made it clear that without his willingness to act, she might not be here to tell the story. That gratitude comes through in accounts from New York, where she describes waking up to learn what Ryan had done while she was unconscious.
Ryan, for his part, has been quick to share the credit. He has pointed to the nurses on FaceTime and to his grandfather Charlie Hunt, who connected the call and stayed on with him, as crucial pieces of the puzzle. In one retelling, Long suggested that people in similar situations should trust the professionals on the other end of the line and just keep going, echoing the advice from Jan and the nurses who kept telling him not to stop. The family’s mix of humility and pride has turned what could have been a private scare into a public example of how ordinary people can step up.
Honors, Lessons And A Push For CPR Training
Back at school, Ryan Long’s life looks mostly like any other eighth grader’s, but the adults around him have made sure his actions are recognized. He was honored on a Friday with his district’s inaugural Eagle of Excellence Award and named Champlain Valley Physic Healthcare Hero, a pair of titles that underline how seriously the community takes what he did. Coverage of the ceremony notes that Ryan Long, at just 14, stood in front of classmates and staff as they applauded the way he used CPR to save his grandmother.
The recognition has also turned into a teaching moment. Ryan’s classmates have been learning CPR themselves, with instructors repeating the same tips that helped him, including the suggestion to hum “Stayin’ Alive” to keep compressions on beat. Reports from Beekmantown describe how the district and CVPH have leaned into the story as proof that CPR training for teenagers is not just a nice add-on but a real community safety tool. When students see someone their own age perform nearly 10 minutes of compressions and keep a loved one alive, the message that they, too, can learn to do it lands differently.
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