When Johnette Wilmot learned CPR as a 17-year-old high school student, she never imagined she’d carry that knowledge unused for four decades. But on a warm afternoon in Alabama, during an ordinary baseball tryout, everything she learned all those years ago suddenly came rushing back — and a young life depended on it.

Fifteen-year-old Evan Tucker had just wrapped up his freshman baseball season at Pinson Valley High School. That day, he was trying out for a travel team, his mind focused on the crack of the bat and the competition ahead. His mother, Samantha, was watching from the sidelines, proud and relaxed, when suddenly she saw her son collapse on the field.

At first, she thought a ball had struck him. Others nearby assumed he was having a seizure. But the truth was far more urgent — Evan’s heart had stopped.

Among the parents at the field was Wilmot, there to watch her own son’s tryout. The moment she realized what was happening, instinct took over. She sprinted toward Evan and dropped to her knees beside him.
“I learned CPR in high school and I’ve never had to use it in 40 years,” she told WBRC News. “I just kept humming Stayin’ Alive,” she said, referring to the Bee Gees’ disco classic — well known among first responders as having the perfect tempo for chest compressions.

For nearly eight minutes, Wilmot worked tirelessly — pressing, counting, keeping rhythm — until the sound of sirens filled the air. Paramedics rushed Evan to Children’s Hospital, where doctors had to shock his heart to restore its beat.

The days that followed were filled with uncertainty, but Evan’s condition began to stabilize. His medical team believes that with continued physical therapy, he has an excellent chance of making a full recovery.

For Samantha Tucker, the reality is still sinking in — how close she came to losing her son, and how one person’s quick action and decades-old training made all the difference.
“There are no words,” she said, her gratitude clear.

A family friend has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with the mounting hospital bills, a gesture of support for the Tucker family as Evan continues his journey back to health.

And for Wilmot, the lesson is simple: some skills are worth carrying for a lifetime — because you never know when you might need them. On that day, her memory, her composure, and the beat of an old Bee Gees song kept a boy’s heart beating long enough for help to arrive.