Coast Guard Foundation Scholar Turns Near-Death Experience into Lifesaving Mission

Ethan King, a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying aerospace engineering, was recently featured in People magazine for surviving a sudden cardiac arrest during his first week of college. He is the son of retired Coast Guard Capt. Jared King and Carrie King and a two-year Coast Guard Foundation scholarship recipient.

He had just joined the university’s running club when he collapsed during a group run in August 2024.

“I was dead, without a pulse, for six minutes,” he shared with the Coast Guard Foundation. “Thankfully, a pre-med student named Hannah gave me CPR until EMS arrived and I was brought back to life.”

A year later, Ethan, Hannah and Nolan, one of the run club’s team captains, launched the Cardiac Arrest Preparation Initiative, or CAP, a student-led program that has already trained more than 250 students and athletes in CPR and AED use. The group works with the school’s EMS club and Michigan Medicine and plans to expand its outreach beyond the university.

“The actual survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is less than 10 percent,” King told Detroit’s ABC affiliate WXYZ, as cited in People. “I got incredibly lucky that I survived. I’m kind of paying it forward.”

Ethan says the scholarship support he received from the Coast Guard Foundation has allowed him to stay focused on his studies while continuing his advocacy work.

“I am honored to receive this scholarship,” he shared. “It allows me to continue my education and with my degree, I can pursue a career in the field of rocketry.”

For Ethan, the experience has also reinforced a lesson about courage and community.

“The more you take action, the easier it becomes,” he shared. “Recognize the problem, step in, and make a difference.”