LAPD Motor Officer Joshua Sewell cut his vacation short to volunteer at the recent Los Angeles Marathon. It’s a good thing he did. Just ask 21-year-old Jay Yim, who is listed in good condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and expected to make a full recovery. At mile 18, Yim suffered a heart attack and Officer Sewell was one of the first people to come to his aid.

LA Times reporter Jeannine Stein recounts what happened:

…When he [Officer Sewell] tried to revive Yim he got no response and found no pulse. Sewell yelled for someone to call an ambulance and recruited an LAPD bicycle officer to help administer CPR. "I did CPR in the [police] academy 15 years ago but not since then," he said. The lapse didn't seem to matter -- the routine kicked in and chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation were done with precise timing.

Also on the scene was Dr. Charles Chandler, chief of surgery at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, who was watching the marathon from near his home and saw Sewell running by. "When I got there Jay was in the middle of the street -- completely still, and his pupils were dilated and he wasn't moving any air." Chandler helped out with CPR, eventually getting a pulse, and called UCLA's emergency room to tell the staff the ambulance was on its way.

After undergoing tests, it was discovered that Yim had suffered some seizures as well, possibly caused by the cardiac arrest, said Dr. Paul Vespa, director of Neurocritical Care at UCLA, who treated Yim. An MRI showed some brain swelling, and fearing brain injuries hypothermia was induced. In that process, the body is cooled to 32 degrees Celsius (the procedure is also used for some cardiac arrest cases) and is in a coma. The process, still somewhat controversial, basically brings on hibernation, Vespa said, causing a metabolism shutdown. "When you have a brain injury," he said, "a whole number of bad pathways get activated, and that can lead to cell death and damage. Hypothermia blocks those pathways." He added that hypothermia can also put the body at higher risk for infection, since the immune system is suppressed.

Yim's body was warmed after about 48 to 72 hours, and he is now awake and talking. He's undergoing physical therapy, and while Vespa said it's too soon to tell if Yim will ever do another marathon, his overall prognosis is excellent. What caused his cardiac arrest still isn't known, and although it's unusual for someone his age and good health to suffer a heart attack, dehydration or inadequate nutrition during a marathon or other physical activity can trigger such catastrophic events.

But Yim, a USC pre-med student originally from Phoenix, has some incentive to run again. Sewell, who ran the marathon in 2006, said he promised he'll finish the last 8.2 miles with Yim when he's able. "I told him that, and he got a big old smile on his face," Sewell said, adding that he’s been spending a lot of time with Yim and his family. "I got a little emotionally attached to this one."

We commend Officer Sewell for his quick actions and dedication that saved Yim's life. He is an exemplary representative of the more than 9,900 men and women of the LAPD. Thanks to the LA Times' Jeannine Stein for sharing a great story with a happy ending.