Wootton High School honors senior for saving a life

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Wootton High School senior Vivek Majumdar was honored as a hero on Friday morning for his quick thinking and ability to stay calm under pressure which helped save the life of his best friend's grandfather. 

Monday night was supposed to be a night of celebration for the Haledjian family. It was senior Zach's final home game as a Patriots lacrosse player, but a quick trip to the bathroom for Zach's grandfather turned out to be anything but that.

Greg Haledjian, Zach's father, spoke to WUSA9 and said he heard someone call for help. When he got to the bathroom, he saw his dad on the floor and unconscious. 

"It was shocking," he said. "I've never seen him like that. It was a situation I never thought I would have to deal with."

Moments later, Vivek came running in, along with another parent who is an ER doctor. The two started administering CPR right away. 

"I was like - please save my dad," Greg said.

Vivek is a trained EMT and has been part of the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department since he was 16 years old. He was recognized by the school administration and his department for his heroic efforts, but from his perspective, he was just doing what he was trained to do.

"I'm thankful," Vivek said. "Extremely thankful just for being there and for being able to use my skills for someone with such a personal connection to me."

Rockville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Craig Lazar says he wasn't surprised at all by how Vivek reacted to the emergency. 

"He's very cool, calm and collected," he said.

Lazar hopes people take away the importance of CPR.

"The earlier you can have CPR, the earlier in the situation someone has CPR, it increases the odds of survival," he explained. 

Vivek agrees.

"CPR is the reason why my best friend's grandfather is alive. Pretty simple and straightforward," he said. 

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