Middle school educators save man’s life during heart attack

Neil Carew a longtime photographer, was in the school gym when he suffered a heart attack.

”When I turned around, he went down at that moment,” said coach and teacher Cathy Egger. “I went and shook him and called out his name a little bit and I said, ‘This isn’t working.’”

Egger then went to get help. She called our for Denis Minks Who was close by.

After calling 911, Principal Clay Hudgins ran into the gym with the AED the school had right outside of the gym

Longtime nurse Katrina Kalhleffel took the lead, opening the AED and placing the patches from the device onto Carew’s chest.

The AED advised that a shock was necessary. It then proceeded to shock twice before continuing with CPR.

“I don’t think he would’ve made it, possibly not even to the hospital. He certainly would not have left the hospital functioning as he is,” said Carew’s doctor Nils Johnson with Memorial Hermann. “When the heart stops, all of the organs in the body suffer. They don’t get the blood flow that they need. On average, less than 10 percent of people like him make it to leave the hospital with a meaningful mental status, that is, a meaningful mental recovery after this.”

Source: ABC 13 Wallis, TX