'Only one chance at life': Chinese student, 18, misses exam to save classmate suffering heart attack

An 18-year-old student in China has won praise for unhesitatingly choosing to save his classmate suffering from a heart attack, even if it meant missing an important national exam.

Jiang Zhaopeng, a medical student in Shandong province, and his friend had booked an e-hailing ride and were on their way to take the spring college entrance exam on the morning of May 10 when the latter suddenly lost consciousness, reported state media China Daily.

Dashcam footage circulating on Douyin shows the unnamed boy convulsing in Jiang's lap before becoming unresponsive. The e-hailing driver then asks if he should send them to the hospital, to which Jiang immediately agrees.

Just two minutes later, the student realises his classmate has stopped breathing.

As Jiang performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him, the driver, Wang Tao, called the traffic police to request for permission to run the red lights.

Wang is seen in the clip honking at other road users to give way and shouting that it is an emergency. He beat six red lights and reached the nearest hospital in just seven minutes, half the usual time needed, according to China Daily.

Medical personnel took over resuscitation efforts from Jiang and managed to stabilise his classmate.

Only after ensuring his friend was being taken care of did the student inform his school and rush to the exam venue — but he had missed the 9am Chinese language paper.

Jiang told Chinese media outlets later that he would repeat his studies if he fails the spring college entrance exam, and that he has "no regrets".

"Exams can be retaken, but there's only one chance at life," he'd said.

Make-up tests are usually not permitted under exam regulations, but authorities eventually arranged one for Jiang days after the incident, in consideration of the circumstances.

According to local media, doctors also confirmed that Jiang's classmate is expected to recover without suffering any brain damage.

"The first five minutes are a critical time... the CPR performed was key and greatly contributed to the survival rate," said Zhao Cheng, the attending physician at Yantaishan Hospital's emergency department.

Jiang and Wang subsequently received official commendations from local authorities.

One netizen commented on a viral video of the incident: "Though Jiang missed the exam, he handed in the most perfect answer sheet for life. Likewise, although the driver Wang had run red lights, his future will be met with green lights."

lim.kewei@asiaone.com

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