LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – Staff members at Oldham County High School were honored Tuesday for saving a student's life.
Several staff members at the school all rushed to help when a student went into cardiac arrest a week ago. Officials said they are crediting the quick thinking teachers and an automated external defibrillator for saving one student's life.
"I don't let my mind go back to that day very much, but it is a miracle," Jean Smith said.
Smith is 16-year-old Cole Gibson's mother and she said she is still in shock that her son was just minutes, maybe even seconds away from dying.
"Then one of the EMTs grabbed me very sternly by the arm . Cause we had to go up to the second floor. He told me as we were walking and he had a good hold on me and he said your son's heart stopped," she said, recounting the day her son was just sitting in class when he had shortness of breath then collapsed.
"My student had fallen over to the side and initially presented seizure like symptoms and we realized quickly when we got him on the floor it was much worse," teacher Joan Thompson said.
The associate principal started CPR and called for the district nurse who just happened to be in the school that day. It was obvious, both of them said, Cole was slipping away.
"Originally when we got to the scene, he was breathing, pulse and everything, and like I said, went from bad to worse pretty quick," Stan Torzewski, associate principal, said.
That's when Torzewski said he grabbed the automatic external defibrillator, which can provide a life saving jolt to the heart if needed. It worked and Cole is alive today.
The staff was honored Tuesday by Cole's mom and EMS with a special life saver award in Oldham County Fiscal Court. Their actions, their quick thinking and many of them said the AED, allowed Cole to have a second chance on life.
"God was orchestrating a major choir of angels over Cole that day," Smith said.
Cole has since had a defibrillator implanted and his mother said he is doing well.
Doctors said he suffers from an irregular heartbeat.
