VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — School staff recalled a dramatic rescue that happened after a child collapsed during PE class at Larkspur Middle School back in March.
“It started off like a normal day. We came out, warmed up, and were doing an activity when DJ and his friends were running like normal. He ran past me and kind of just fell to the ground,” said PE teacher Dr. Heather Hamilton, who immediately called for the school nurse.
“I checked for a pulse. No pulse, so I immediately started compressions,” she continued.
But the situation went from bad to worse. CPR alone wasn’t working.
“You could see the moment when the life drained from his face,” said Hamilton.
As soon as the principal, Dr. Tamika Singletary-Johnson, saw one of her students down, she called for extra help.
“We have a panic button at Virginia Beach public schools on our cell phones. I reached for my cell phone and pressed the panic button so the emergency crews could respond,” she said.
Meanwhile, security assistant Robert Toth knew things were bad—really bad. So he quickly reached for the automated external defibrillator.
“I grabbed it and got out here as quickly as I could. I was a sprinter, but I’ve never run that fast in my life,” Toth said.
After one shock from the AED, DJ’s heart started beating again, and relief swept through the frantic group.
“Thank God we train all the time. It became secondary for us; we went right into action,” said security assistant Michael Baker.
Listening to all of this seems surreal for the 7th grader. He says the last thing he remembers is dressing out for PE.
“I just remember waking up in the hospital with my family and them comforting me,” said DJ.
The track and football player has a congenital heart condition that he was not aware of called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that weakens the heart.
So for now, he wears a portable AED.
“So this right here is a LifeVest. Basically, it helps me if I ever do pass out again; it'll give me a shock,” he said.
Soon, he’ll have heart surgery to have a tiny AED implanted in his heart.
And sadly, he will not be able to play sports for the foreseeable future.
“It’s very hard and challenging, but I’m just taking everything day by day,” he said.
But he says he’s grateful for the teachers and staff who acted quickly to save his life. They are heroes and positively impacting Hampton Roads.
