SAN ANTONIO – The coaches and an athletic trainer at Reagan High School are being credited with helping save a student who went into cardiac arrest Tuesday morning.
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The 11th-grader was at basketball practice when the medical emergency occurred, the district confirmed.
"I could tell right away something wasn't right. He wasn't breathing," said Joe Martinez, assistant athletic trainer at Reagan High School.
In a letter to parents, the head basketball coach, John Hirst, said, “Our trainer, Coach (Joe) Martinez, was with the student almost immediately, and performed CPR and used the AED, while waiting for EMS to arrive. He responded quickly and positively.”
The teen was taken to North Central Baptist, which is next door to the high school.
“I’m just happy for him he gets to go home and see his parents, brothers and sisters, and that’s the only thing that matters," Martinez said.
Aubrey Chancellor, a spokesperson for Northeast Independent School District, credited the fast action with saving the boy.
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“The safety drill that every coach runs with their team in the gym, on the field or at a golf course saved a life today, because they had practiced how to save a life,” she said. “The boy is alive and doing well because of planning ahead for emergencies that we pray will never happen.”
"It got pretty emotional, that whole situation. I’m just glad he's still with us today," Martinez said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the student was still in the intensive care unit for additional tests and observations, Hirst said.