Kent mother describes the aid she received when her son, 12, has a heart attack

On May 12, 2010, my son, age 12, collapsed at school due to cardiac arrest.

I was called by the front office and was advised strongly to get to the school as soon as possible for there was an incident with my son and 911 had to be dispatched.

My son, Austin, was playing at school when he collapsed. Other kids saw Austin collapse and quickly got the playground teacher’s attention. Austin happened to collapse in front of the classroom of Mrs. Lott, a third-grade teacher at Horizon Elementary. Mrs. Lott noticed that Austin was lying on the ground, face down, and asked if he was OK. He went unconscious. Mrs. Lott quickly checked Austin’s vitals and she did not find a pulse. Mrs. Lott quickly, carefully flipped Austin to his back to prepare for CPR. Mr. Hyde, the general music teacher, came over to see what he could to do help. Mrs. Lott instructed Mr. Hyde to perform chest compressions while she performed mouth to mouth. Little did I know, Mrs. Lott used to be a nurse. Within minutes, the Kent Fire paramedics showed up and continued CPR on Austin.

In the meantime, I am on my way to the school, thinking maybe Austin broke an arm or a wrist. Little did I know what I was in for when I arrived at the school. I parked, RAN from the parking lot, where I was met by Mrs. Lewis (playground teacher/front office) and Mrs. Hansen (school counselor). I ran into the building and Mrs. Lewis escorted me back to a quiet area where I met Pat and Ryan, two Kent Firefighters. Pat helped me by retrieving information from the paramedics and kept me updated on how Austin was doing. Ryan sat with me, quietly, and offered me something to drink. I didn’t know why I was not left alone. Pat explained to me that Austin had collapsed at school and the paramedics were working on his breathing and heartbeat; Austin needed assistance breathing and needed 5-6 shocks with the defibrillator. This was my worst nightmare…

Mrs. Strey, Horizon’s Principal, retrieved my cell phone from my vehicle so I could call my husband. I called my husband Lenny and ordered him to get to the school now; something was wrong with Austin. Lenny asked the various questions: “Does Austin have a heartbeat?” My response: “Not on his own.”

Lenny asked, “Is Austin breathing?” My response: “Not on his own.” Lenny asked, “Does he have a pulse?” My response: “Not on his own.” Lenny stated, “I’m on my way!”

The paramedics were ready to take Austin to the fire station off of Kent-Kangley, where the helivac was waiting to take Austin to Seattle Children’s Hospital. Before transporting Austin off, I got to see my son one last time; I didn’t know if it was going to be my VERY last time to ever see him alive. I kissed his forehead and stated that Jesus will be with him. Off they went.

Lenny and I pulled our youngest son, age 11, out of school. We took him to a relative’s home while Lenny and I quickly rushed to Children’s Hospital. We were met by Lenny’s brother Charlie at the hospital. Lenny and I were so distraught that phone calls were not in our thought process. Charlie made all the phone calls to our immediate family members and any close friends.

Lenny and I met the social worker and attending (doctor) at the hospital. The attending stated that they were going to “cool” Austin’s body temperature down to 33-34 degrees Celsius (approx 88 degrees Fahrenheit.) This will help the body and mind to calm down. The cooling period was for 2-3 days and then the doctors would start to “warm” Austin back up. It worked.

But, the thought in the back of my mind was; Is he going to be brain-damaged?

When Austin came to, he knew who Lenny was, knew who I was, and knew Uncle Charlie. WHEW!!!! Austin is one courageous boy and an angel was watching over him that day when he collapsed.

Austin walks to school daily. I am glad that he collapsed where Mrs. Lott was. Otherwise, I don’t think Austin would have survived. From my understanding, most people do not survive this due to the sudden cardiac arrest and by the time someone helps, it’s often too late.

Austin is recovering and is getting better and stronger everyday.

The heart disease that Austin has is called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This is the heart condition where sports figures collapse and die suddenly on the field.

GOD BLESS THE FRONT LINE OF TEACHERS THAT INSTINCTS TOOK OVER AND TOOK CARE OF AUSTIN!

I could never thank them enough let alone everyone else that help save Austin. I would like to give thanks to all those who help protect the rest of the population and treat us when we are down. All the training paid off. I commend our city for having such wonderful people.

This experience has been traumatic for our school staff and the students. I chatted with the students and explained what had happened to squash any rumors or disbeliefs. It worked. I was worried that Cameron would have been asked too many questions he couldn’t answer and I want to protect Cameron. Supplying information to the students helped them deal with what had happened to their classmate and it was therapeutic for me to explain what had happened in a way that a 12-year-old would understand. I didn’t want people to be scared. This is something that happens; there is no control. Dealing with the aftermath is the biggest hurdle.

Austin and family are strong and we will get though anything.

Kelly Glenn

Kent