Portsmouth teen Alex Maillet acts fast to save life of his boss at Dollar Tree

PORTSMOUTH — A Portsmouth teen was recently honored with both a Mayor's Award and an American Heart Association award for saving the life of his manager who was having a heart attack.

Alexander Maillet, 17, is a senior at the Robert J. Lister Academy, where he said he learned CPR from teacher Gail Klanchesser.

On April 5, Maillet was working at his job at the Dollar Tree in Portsmouth, where he has been employed since August as a cashier, stocking shelves and general retail duties.

When his boss collapsed, in what appeared to be a heart attack, Maillet took action. His quick thinking is credited with saving his boss' life.

"It was pretty busy in the store," he said. "My boss walked over, past the batteries. He clutched his chest, actually said something about his leg and collapsed. He had told me he was diabetic, literally the day before, so I thought of that at first, but then I realized it was probably his heart. He was not conscious."

Maillet said he started doing CPR and he called 911 dispatch.

"They told me to keep doing what I was doing and they were sending help," he said. "One person in the store said she was a registered nurse and she stayed with me. Police came first and then the paramedics. I was quiet and they said I appeared calm, but I was really freaking out inside."

"I was so happy that I was able to provide the training that allowed him to be successful," said Klanchesser. "What impressed me the most was that he made the decision to start. Many people are not actually prepared to do that when it comes right down to it. So that decision is huge, and he did it right."

Maillet said he felt pretty confident, having taken the CPR class a few times. He said he did compressions on his boss until help arrived.

Samantha Maillet, Alex's mom, said he called her.

"He told me what was going on and I could hear the register," she said. "I knew it was only him and his manager at the store so I said, 'Alex, are you still working?' He said, 'Yes, there are people in the store.' I said, 'I will be right there.'"

Once his mother arrived, Alex Maillet said she told him to close the store but there was another obstacle to overcome.

"I had no keys," he said. "The cops tried to call the owner but couldn't get him. I had no numbers of people to call. We even checked the call log. I tried to lock the door and it didn't work the first time because people came in the store. Another manager called me asking about her hours. I didn't know about that but told her what happened and she came to help. She helped me write a report and closed up the store."

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Alex Maillet is set to graduate in June. His mom said he wants to go into computer technology and has already taken some college-level courses.

"I want to go to Great Bay (Community College)," he said.

"Alex deserves recognition and is the exemplary model of consistency," said Steve Krzyzanowski, principal of Lister Academy. "He keeps his head down and goes about his business, with some key breaks for some super funny quips or 'locking in' to some computer programming. He is a senior this year and his presence will be greatly missed."

Brandon and Samantha Maillet, Alex's parents, are very proud of their son.

"I work in the health care field and I am not sure I could have been so calm and taken all the right steps," said Samantha Maillet. "If I go down, I want him there. His heroic and calm behavior during the incident has made me very proud of him."

"Everyone is very proud of him," said Brandon. "I am incredibly proud of him."

Kate Kirkpatrick, vice president of communications for Dollar Tree, said the company's corporate staff loved hearing about Alex's story. She said they reached out to him, wanting to talk to him about what happened.

“On behalf of the entire team at Dollar Tree, we want to extend our sincere appreciation to Alexander for his quick thinking and heroic actions," she said. "It’s thanks to Alexander that a precious life was saved that day. We are proud to see that Alexander has received recognition from his local community and also from the American Heart Association – Alexander is incredibly deserving and a truly remarkable young man."

Kirkpatrick, of Dollar Tree, said the manager saved by Maillet has stepped away from working at the store to focus on his health and was not immediately available for comment.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Portsmouth teen Alex Maillet uses CPR to save life of his boss