A former Tongan firefighter is being praised for saving another man’s life by performing CPR in Honolulu, Hawai’i on Tuesday.
Takai Kapeli Takai was trimming trees at the Nimitz Highway when he noticed someone is reaching over a man in a car at a traffic light doing something to his face and on the phone at the same time.
The men were Robyn Preza and his 51-year-old father Ronaldo Preza. Ronaldo was driving Robyn to work at around 10.50am when he allegedly suffered a cardiac arrest.
Takai said he immediately knew something was wrong, so he rushed to help, Honolulu’s Khon2 reported.
The car was at a stop light at Kalihi St when the incident occurred while Takai was on top of a prune truck with some co-workers from Hala Toa Mui Contractors Inc.
“I opened the car and tried to put down the seat for him to lie back and I try do CPR inside,” Takai reportedly said.
Takai was unable to perform CPR with Ronaldo Preza in the car, so he called his co-workers over to help get him out of the car onto the ground.
“I do what I can do until they came. The firefighter came and they took over and then the ambulance came too,” Takai said.
Takai said he didn’t hesitate because he had been a firefighter at Tonga International Airport for seven years before he moved to Hawaii.
“I still have that feeling of saving lives anywhere I go. It only makes sense when you see if you think you can help, you help,” Takai said.
On Thursday afternoon Takai and Robyn shared an emotional hug as Robyn thanked Takai for saving his father’s life.
Robyn’s father went into cardiac arrest. Robyncalled 911, but said he didn’t know CPR.
“I felt helpless. I literally didn’t know what to do to try to save him. I was just calling out for help,” Robyn said.
The Prezas are forever grateful.
“He’s an angel,” said Vicky Preza, Ronaldo Preza’s sister-in-law. “Our family cannot thank him enough, because Ronaldo would not make it to the hospital if it was not for Takai, the company, his friends that helped.”
Vicky Preza said Takai is like family now. He not only helped save Ronaldo Preza’s life, he’s visited him in the hospital every night since the accident.
“He offered my sister help, offered her money, but she didn’t want to accept it. He left it there. That’s how great he is,” Vicky Preza said.
She said seeing what Takai did for her family is a reminder that there is hope.
“I want everybody to know that good people are still out here. We hear a lot of bad news, but there are good people still,” she said.
Ronaldo Preza is still in the hospital.
