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The 16-year-old student is now recovering in the Intensive Care Unit at Kalispell Regional Medical Center after collapsing during gym class at around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

School staff began performing CPR to save his life and then several people, including the athletic trainer and nurse, began using a defibrillator to shock the student and get him breathing.

Three Rivers EMS was on the scene within four minutes and by the time emergency responders got to the student he had a pulse and was breathing on his own.

The student was then taken by ambulance to Kalispell Regional Medical Center and placed in ICU.

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Haynes, 15, of Natchitoches nearly died on Dec. 12 during Natchitoches Central’s freshman boys basketball game at Pineville High School. On Tuesday, a day after having a defibrillator surgically placed in his chest in New Orleans, Haynes and his mother, Clara, went home for the first time since the terrifying incident.

Calvin Haynes the Survivor

“I wasn’t at the game, but I was blessed with angels that worked with my son that got him back to life,” said Mrs. Haynes. “His heart had stopped beating for eight minutes, and he was unconscious for 30-40 minutes. Some people say he is lucky to be alive. He wasn’t lucky, he was blessed.”

Haynes, a small forward, wasn’t a starter in the contest, but he remembers being sent into the game in the second quarter.

“I don’t remember going down,” he said. “I remember scoring a basket and going back (down court) to play defense. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital.”

Micah Coleman, in his sixth year as the varsity boys’ basketball coach at Natchitoches Central, was watching from the sideline while freshman coach Kolton Sepulvado’s Chiefs played the Rebel freshmen. As Coleman was visiting with Pineville varsity boys’ basketball coach Corey Simon, Haynes made a nice move to the goal for a layup off the glass.

“I was talking with Corey about Calvin after he caught Corey’s eye with that score,” Coleman said, “and pointing at him as he was running down floor and then collapsed. You see kids fall all the time in basketball, but you could tell there was something different about the way he fell. To say it scared me would be an understatement. I was terrified.”

“It was a dead sound,” said Gage Trahan, a certified athletic trainer and Pineville teacher who was on duty at the game and administered to Haynes on the court. “Initially, it looked as though he was having a seizure. He was very rigid and shaking.”

Donna Lemoine, a nurse from Rapides Regional Medical Center who happened to be at the game because her daughter was scheduled to play in a freshman girls basketball game after the boys contest, soon joined Trahan on the court to help.

Despite the appearances, Haynes wasn’t having a seizure, Lemoine said, noting he wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse.

“We did several minutes of CPR,” said Lemoine, a former paramedic and emergency room nurse who taught CPR for 20 years and now is director of the trauma department at Rapides Regional. “At one point, it seemed he started breathing again, but it was not a good pulse.”

Trahan got Simon to call an ambulance and the Pineville Fire Department, and he hustled to get an automated external defibrillator (AED) that was by the school cafeteria near the gym.

“That’s what the patient needed,” said Lemoine, who had also been doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Haynes. “Gage turned it on and started analyzing the heart rhythm, and it advised he needed to be shocked. We shocked the patient and started doing CPR again.”

By the time the ambulance and Pineville firefighters arrived, Haynes was stable enough to be transported to the emergency room.

“When I got to the hospital, Calvin was conscious and recognized my voice,” said Mrs. Haynes, who arrived at the ER about 15 minutes after her son. “He was in and out (of consciousness).”

Haynes eventually was taken to the intensive care unit.

“I felt drowsy and didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “The only thing that kept me calm was hearing my mom and my coach telling me everything was OK.”

“I’ve prayed pretty hard in my lifetime, but never with quite the same energy than when I was on the way to the hospital,” said the 34-year-old Coleman. “Once I heard his voice, that was the best definition of relief I’ve ever experienced. His words were kind of slow and slurred, but I didn’t care as long as he was talking.

“To see someone go from being a happy-go-lucky 15-year-old to someone hanging on for life, that’s how fragile life can be,” Coleman went on. “We prayed several times and told him we were praying for him and that, no matter what, it was going to be OK. We told him we weren’t going anywhere and he was not alone.”

“Thanks to Gage and Donna Lemoine,” said Pineville Principal Karl Carpenter, “we have a 15-year-old male who will celebrate Christmas with his family as opposed to being in a tragic situation.”

Haynes was sent last week from Rapides to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans for tests.

“They did several tests, but didn’t find anything wrong,” said Mrs. Haynes, whose husband, Calvin Sr., a former Alcorn State offensive lineman and Mississippi junior high basketball coach, died in 1997 at age 45 of a heart attack.

“They put a defibrillator in Monday to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Mrs. Haynes continued, “and since everything went well with that, we can go home.”

Mrs. Haynes said because of her husband’s death, she sent her son to a doctor for a physical last August, noting he was “cleared to play football and all sports.”

Coleman said he didn’t leave Haynes’ side the night he suffered from cardiac arrhythmia until both his mother and the doctor told him he would be OK, after which he returned home to Natchitoches and “promptly hugged my kids.”

“The next morning,” Coleman said, “he called me and said, ‘Coach, I wanted to check on you, are you OK?’ That’s the kind of kid he is. With all that he’d been through, he was calling to check on me. I kind of laughed and said, ‘Yeah, Calvin, I’m OK as long as you’re OK.’”

“I just feel blessed,” said Haynes. “I’m thankful there were people at the game who knew CPR and could help me. I’m happy that their school had (an AED) that shocked my heart. If they hadn’t, no telling what would’ve happened.”

And he’s had plenty of time to think about that.

“I’ve thought about how I am lucky to live and have a second chance,” he said. “Instead of taking life for granted, I will appreciate each day from now on.”

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Keegan Shepherd and Sheldon Liikala, two juniors who saw the teen sink to the ground, immediately ran to a nearby school building, said Principal Tim Praino. They knew they would find a breakroom full of teachers.

Mike Edwards the Saviour

Two of the teachers, John Bittinger and Paul Staley, who recently trained to provide first aid and CPR, rushed outside while others called 911 and radioed for one of the new defibrillators.

Praino was sprinting to the gym to get a
defibrillator, until he heard that Edwards already was en route with the machine from his office.

Edwards recently had gone through training on the defibrillator, but didn’t feel too sure of himself when he got the radio call.

Jeremy Brewer the Survivor

“My first thought was, ‘I don’t remember what they told me in the training,’ ” Edwards told the Herald Monday.But when he got to where Bittinger and Staley were performing CPR on Jeremy, he went on auto-pilot — quite literally.

The machine told Edwards it was getting ready to shock Jeremy and to not touch the teen.” The defibrillator checked if Jeremy needed a second jolt and when it decided he didn’t, told the humans to resume CPR, even letting out beeps to show them exactly at what pace to apply pressure to the chest.

Less than two minutes had passed since Jeremy collapsed — and that’s essential to avoid lasting damage.”

In the next couple of minutes, an ambulance showed up.The medics asked if the defibrillator shocked the teen and took over. They took Jeremy to Kadlec Regional Medical Center, where doctors found his heart was beating fine, but that he was not yet breathing on his own. He was flown to Seattle Children’s Hospital and was breathing on his own by Saturday.

On Monday, Jeremy was talking but appeared confused, Praino said. Doctors have said it will take the teen a few days to form clear thoughts, but that he is expected to fully recover.They also said Jeremy was “lucky to have trained individuals working on him within minutes,” Praino said.

Bittinger and Staley forced air into his lungs. Edwards had the machine to jump start Jeremy’s heart. And two students didn’t hesitate a moment to get help.”It was a great example of teamwork,” Praino said.

Just how great became apparent to Edwards only Monday — when he saw the report doctors downloaded from the defibrillator.The graph showing Jeremy’s heart activity was an almost flat, squiggly line when Edwards first attached the pads to the teen’s chest. Ten seconds after the shock was delivered, the usual sharp spikes seen on the heart rate diagram indicated his heart had started beating again.

“I got goosebumps seeing that,” Edwards said. “I thought, ‘Man — this works.’

“When the district’s safety committee discussed buying defibrillators over the summer, nobody objected, but the general consensus was that they likely would never be needed, Gribskov said.

But before the year was out, one of the relatively inexpensive machines has saved a young man from permanent damage or even death.

“We’re certainly thankful we decided to purchase them,” Gribskov said.

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Suddenly, while his Grade 9 students practiced CPR on “dummies” in the gym next door, King joined McConnell in a life-or-death first-aid drill. In the precious minutes that followed, they used a real defibrillator and CPR to restore the teen’s pulse before emergency crews arrived.

Today the 17-year-old is recovering, although he does not want his name made public.

“The timing was ironic, because I had just been telling my students how important it is to know CPR, especially with the holidays coming up when they visit with elderly relatives,” King said.

McConnell knows first aid from her days as a lifeguard, and began delivering CPR and mouth-to-mouth as shocked students watched. She had been teaching at the Etobicoke school less than two weeks, yet ironically, one of the first classes she had taught was in CPR.

“It’s amazing because the defibrillator tells you exactly what to do, including what rhythm to use when you compress the chest and when to give air,” McConnell said.

Toronto’s Emergency Medical Services has nominated both teachers as well as hall monitor Linda Armstrong and vice-principal Tim Brethour for EMS Citizens’ awards for quick thinking in fetching the defibrillator, calling 911 and delaying the bell between classes so emergency crews could wheel out the stretcher without having to battle crowds.

“In cardiac arrest, seconds count,” noted EMS acting superintendent Shawn Murphy in a letter of praise to school officials. “Had it not been for the rapid and skilled actions of the staff, the outcome would not have been as positive.”

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The student collapsed and his heart had stopped beating. Three of the district’s coaches, one of whom is a teacher, used an automated external defibrillator to bring back the student’s heartbeat, according to a statement from the district.

The student was transported to the hospital for testing and observation, according to the statement.

“The quick actions and combined efforts of our district coaches saved the student’s life,” wrote Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Lauren Hunter in the statement. “For that, we are grateful for their heroism and the emergency training they received through the district.”

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The girl was playing tag in her physical education class at about 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday when she collapsed, according to a statement from the Wayland Union Schools superintendent.

Staff used AED on collapsed teen girl: woodtv.com

She was not breathing, so school staff performed CPR and operated the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) until emergency personnel arrived on the scene.

“It was very calm,” said principal Carolyn Whyte. “But at the same time, it was very hectic. We were trying to make sure that we were making decisions and doing things as quickly as possible but at the same time, because of the number of people involved, we knew that we need to maintain control — and everyone did.”

“Whenever you go through any of those trainings, you hope that you never have to use it,” said Teresa Fulk, middle school assistant principal and district technology director. “But we’re definitely very grateful that we did have the training so that we knew exactly how to respond when the incident happened on Monday.”

The training, of course, did not change the fact that responding to a collapsed 14-year-old girl is difficult.

“It was,” Whyte said. “But knowing that she’s in a great place and she’s got great doctors and we’re all pulling for her, I’m glad that we were able to give her the chance that she has and that was all a result of training and help from the locals (emergency responders) and the AED.”

First responders arrived very quickly, she said.

The principal said that at least a dozen people played a role in the response, from making a phone call, to opening a door, to comforting staff.

The girl was taken to DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids for treatment and tests.

She is currently listed as in stable condition.

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There was no sign or indication that Keilea Swearingen had any type of heart problems, but on Sept. 1 her heart stopped working and she stopped breathing.

It was only the second day of class at Evergreen when students were getting ready to roam the halls on their way to lunch, but in room 622 something caught teacher Bayley Lawrence’s attention.

“To me it looked like she was having a seizure and her body was going through motions,” said Bayley Lawrence, Keilea’s teacher.

Keilea,14, had fallen to the floor and was in and out of consciousness.

Lawrence quickly went to check on her while a student notified the office and within seconds, school nurse Debbie Fowler was on her way to the classroom.

When she got to it, she realized Keilea’s heart had stopped and her breathing was weak.

“So I get her in a sideline position and I could tell as soon as I turned her over her face was purple,” said Debbie Fowler, the school nurse.

As someone called 911 another staff member had grabbed the Automatic External Defibrillator and put it to use.

Fowler then started CPR, trying to keep Keilea alive as they waited for paramedics to arrive.

At the same time, Keilea’s mom was notified.

“When I got there they didn’t tell me everything and I walked into the situation seeing my daughter unresponsive on the ground,” said Crystal Swearingen, Keilea’s mom.

Keilea was taken to the hospital where she was in a medically induced coma.

But to everyone’s surprise she had enough after 36 hours and that’s when she woke up.

“I think it’s pretty amazing the whole chain. If one thing didn’t happen it could have ended differently,” said Keilea Swearingen, “So I think I’m very, very lucky.”

Keilea has always been very active and played a lot of sports.

Her mom calls her a fighter and a stubborn teen so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that after only six days in the hospital, Keilea was going home.

A few days later, she was back at school.

“The nurse and her teacher, they responded very quickly and it couldn’t have gone any better,” said Crystal.

When she returned to school it was very emotional day for those involved.

“When I went to hug her is when I realized the last time I had touched her I didn’t think she was going to make it,” said Fowler.

Keilea has to wear a vest that monitors her heart rate and provides an electric shock if she needs it.

She’s staying optimistic.

“My parents are supportive and I keep things in perspective. I mean it could be much worse I could not even be here,” said Keilea.

The Swearingens can’t stress enough how that AED saved her life.

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“I decided to sit down, and then I fell forward and I don’t remember anything,” Shea said.

Frisco Teachers Save 7th Grader’s Life: MyFoxDFW.com

That’s when Shea collapsed and stopped breathing.

Her classmates called for help, and two teachers, Kristen Goodgion and Brent Reese immediately began performing CPR.

“Everything that’s in your mind is you’re just panicking. You see Kylee on the floor. She’s not responsive,” Reese said.

The CPR proved not to be enough and the teachers knew they needed to do more. On the wall near them was an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and luckily for Shea, both teachers had been trained to use it.

Later, doctors told her parents the AED had saved her life.

Shea had a heart arrhythmia, meaning her heart was beating rapidly but not pumping blood. Although they aren’t sure of the cause, she now has a pacemaker in case it ever happens again.

“It just goes to show the importance of having these devices…having the proper training to use them, said Kylee’s mother.

The seventh grader will return to school next week. Reese and Goodgion will be honored at a special assembly in honor of their life-saving work.

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The boy, whose name has not been released, was on the field when he suddenly collapsed, coach Tim Spoonemore said. Unaware of how severe the boy’s injury may be, Spoonemore and coach Brad Averitte rushed on to the field and turned the boy over with Averitte bracing the athlete’s neck.

Adults Honored for Saving Collapsed Azle 7th Grader: MyFoxDFW.com

The coaches quickly realized the boy was unresponsive and had no pulse. While Spoonemore began performing CPR, Averitte continued to brace the boy’s neck while talking to him, comforting him and trying to get him to respond. After a short time, a parent stepped in and took over CPR while Spoonemore left to get one of two automated external defibrillators.

Rita White, a nurse with the district who happened to be watching the game from the stands, said she ran onto the field to help when she saw that the coaches had started CPR. A short time later assistant principal Brian Roberts arrived with the first AED. White, who trains district employees to use the device, then used the device on the player — and he began to breathe.

“I saw his stomach start moving, and that was just the greatest thing,” Spoonemore said during a news conference Wednesday. “When I saw him … getting in the ambulance and he was breathing, that just made my heart jump out of my body almost.”

The player was eventually rushed by helicopter to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, where he remains Wednesday.

The boy’s family has decided not to speak publicly, but did say Wednesday morning that their son is in good condition and that everyone involved in saving their son’s life is a hero.

“It was a team effort. Everyone was here. Everyone had a very important part. No one person is a hero,” said White.

“Going over the scenario again and reliving what everybody in the community from the coaches, to the nurses, to the parents, to the administration, everything that they’ve done has really made today a fantastic day. A young man has life, a father has a son, a mother has a son and it doesn’t get any better than that,” said Averitte.

Azle superintendent Ray Lea arrived at Azle Junior High School minutes after it happened Tuesday and said the entire experience was surreal and that he is the world’s biggest fan of having AEDs on campus.

“Everybody there was in tears and just really shocked. This is just unheard of at a junior high school football game. It was surreal,” Lea said. “I couldn’t be any more proud of my staff to perform the way they did and rescue this young man. I don’t think the young man would be here without the AED.”

Sam Shafer & Bob Wright the Saviours

A 17-year-old Decorah cross country runner collapsed Thursday evening while running in the Rich Engel Cross Country Classic at Birdsall Park in Cedar Falls. A spectator at the event, Dr. Greg Hoekstra, administered CPR until Cedar Falls police officer Sam Shafer and reserve officer Bob Wright arrived on the scene. The officers had an automated external defibrillator and administered a shock to jump-start the teen’s heart.

He was taken to Sartori Memorial Hospital.

Sartori personnel called the on-scene response a “textbook save” and noted that CPR alone most likely would not have saved the teen’s life.

Adam Riley, activities director for Decorah High School, said the student is doing well but was still in Cedar Falls for testing as of Friday afternoon.

“We’re very appreciative of the efforts of the Cedar Falls Police Department and Sartori hospital,” Riley said Friday. “We very easily could have lost a student yesterday.”

Cedar Falls police have been carrying the defibrillators in each squad car for about eight years. Each officer is recertified to use the device each year.

“Frequently, we’re on the scene before ambulances and paramedics, so you have to do what you can,” said Police Chief Jeff Olson. “We’re just thrilled when we can do something like this to help.”