Julia Strube is being credited with being the light on the dark and dreary morning that helped save 69-year-old Sterling Folk’s life.

  • Julia Strube saved Sterling Folk's life with CPR
  • Strube had taken CPR class at Olympia High
  • She's 1st teen to receive Jim Young Good Samaritan Award

“It was Oct. 27, (2015) and I remember it was a really dark morning, like darker than usual. I was getting ready for school, (and then I was) listening to music on my way down the street and I saw my Grandpa,” said Strube, then 17 years old.

“And he said, 'Call 911,' and so then I was on the phone with 911 when we approached the man, Mr. Folk, and he was unconscious, he wasn’t breathing. So my neighbor he came, and we turned him over on his back because he was on his side, and then operator told me to start performing CPR, to perform 600 compressions,” Strube said.

Strube has been recognized for heroic actions.

“I did that until the ambulance and the police arrived, until they pulled me away and took over,” Strube said.

Strube is the first teenager to be presented with the Jim Young Good Samaritan Award by the Orange County Safe Kids Coalition.

Folk, who is an avid runner, was told he collapsed during his morning run in Windermere.

“That morning, I don’t remember leaving the house. I don’t remember falling down, anything,” Folk said. He fell unconscious and wasn’t breathing.

When he came to, the last thing he remembers was being in the hospital, then going to rehabilitation.

Folk is back running now, but he was on life support for about 10 days.

“I do remember bits and pieces of being on the life support and all. My wife is the one who really remembers all of that, because she was there all the time,” Folk said.

“Julia is a very special young lady. As I said, she’s my Wonder Woman. She jumped in, so I’m told, and took charge. Because of her, I am here today,” Folk said.

Strube is encouraging others to learn CPR, like she did when she was on the athletic training team at Olympia High School.

“God gave me strength to do it, to have the courage. When I was in the 10th grade, we took a class what to do in the situations. In 10th grade, we would practice that exact situation, so I knew what to do,” Strube said.

The ordeal also renewed Folk’s faith.

“It’s phenomenal. It’s unbelievable. You just can’t put it into words that here’s my angel in front of me,” he said. “It’s made me a strong believer in Jesus, bringing her before me in that situation. He could have brought anybody else in my life that morning, but He brought Julia in my life,” Folk said.

The respect between the unlikely pair is mutual. They both vowed to maintain a lifelong friendship.

“It will be. We’re going to follow each other for a long time, and (I’m) really excited about her life and her future,” Folk said.

Said Strube: “It’s changed who I am as a person and to look at every day differently and be thankful for the life we have and to cherish that.”

“You realize how short your life is, and it can be taken away from you so fast.”