Victor Nelson III hadn’t yet wrapped his head around what happened. It had only been a few minutes; he could still feel the adrenaline. His first call was to his mom.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, mom. I think I just saved somebody’s life.’”

On Dec. 6, Nelson, a Poughkeepsie High School junior, saved a man from a drug overdose in a barbershop by administering Narcan. He had learned how to do it in Sean Lauder’s health class this semester. After the lesson, Lauder supplied each student two doses of Narcan and advised them to carry one around with them – you never know when you may need it.

Nelson has shied from attention in the two weeks since the chance encounter thrust him into heroism – “I don’t like bragging about stuff” – but Lauder “was the person I wanted to know,” he said. “He’s the one who taught me how to do it.”

Lauder called it “probably one of my proudest moments as a teacher.”

Punctuating the unlikely nature of the moment, the 16-year-old wasn’t aware of the name of the barbershop as he recalled the story Friday morning. It was his first time visiting it, only there accompanying his dad. His dad, Victor Nelson Jr., lives out of the area and was only visiting to attend his son’s basketball game against John Jay the following day.

Still, as Nelson sat in a chair waiting for his dad’s cut to be complete, he saw a man pacing the sidewalk apparently asking for help. Then, the man came through the door clutching his neck, saying he couldn’t breathe. He asked if anyone had Narcan.

Nelson said he wouldn’t normally have his bag with him when hanging out with his dad – but he did on that day. He ran to the car and retrieved the bag with the Narcan inside while the barber sat the man down in a chair. Then, Nelson administered the overdose reversing drug, just like in class.

“It just happened fast. I had to act fast. It was a little scary. Someone was dying,” Nelson said. While he was able to fall back on what he learned in class, Nelson said he still felt the adrenaline and nerves as he did it. “Once he got the Narcan, he kind of laid back and started to chill. Then he got emotional, thanking me that I saved him.”

The barber then spoke to the man about not repeating the actions that led to the overdose, whatever they are. Nelson said he backed off at that point, feeling in shock.

“It happened fast,” Nelson said, “in the span of, like, 15 minutes.”

The older Victor Nelson, throughout the interaction, showed trust in his son that he knew what he was doing, the 16-year-old said. Afterward, “he was just acknowledging me for what I did and thanking me and stuff like that.”

The call home to mom – Clinton Elementary School teacher Jasmine Davidson – followed.

“It took her a minute to grasp it, too,” the son said. “I really had to go home to tell her about it.”

Nelson said it took him a few days to fully grasp what had happened. As he learned how to handle an overdose in class, he said he didn’t expect to have to use it or even believe he needed to carry it with him. But, he said, he listened to his teacher’s advice.

Lauder wasn’t as surprised, noting this solidifies the importance of teaching about substance abuse. In class, students learn how to identify the signs of an overdose, make sure an individual truly needs Narcan, how to administer it and what to do next.

“When we do the lessons I know that one of them are going to use it one time,” the teacher said, noting nobody knows where they may interact with someone in distress and how substances like fentanyl have added to the likelihood of accidental overdoses. “I tell them I hope you don’t use it but there’s a good chance you may have to use it.”

Nelson is an Honor Roll student who enjoys math and plans to study exercise science or sports medicine in college. A point guard for the Pioneers, he hopes to have a career as a coach or trainer that allows him to stay around the game. That is, if his NBA dreams fall short.

He was honored twice this week. First, he was officially recognized at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting. Then, he was given “A Hero’s Merit Award” Certificate of Excellence and his story was told in front of the entire gym during a schoolwide student-staff volleyball game Thursday.

The award from the school reads, “For his bravery, vigilance and support to his fellow man. Today, we honor you and thank you. You have made Poughkeepsie HS proud.”

Principal Dr. Phee Simpson praised Nelson for his quick thinking and response.

“He used the skills he learned in class to save a life. That’s wonderful,” she said. “It’s translating the classroom to the real world. I’m really proud of him.”

Nearly two weeks after hearing Nelson’s tale, Lauder said, “I’m still very, very excited and proud of him. It’s important people know that.”

Future Pioneers will hear about it for years to come, each time one of them is taught about responding to overdoses. “I’ll tell it every year until I retire,” Lauder said. “Every single year.”