According to the district, it all unfolded on February 28. The seventh-grader collapsed on Spillane Middle School's main staircase between classes and that's when teacher Sean Stiewert and nurse Becky Cushen jumped into action.
Stiewert and Cushen, who are both CPR certified, started trying to resuscitate the student.
"We went right into exactly what we had been taught," Cushen said. "I knew Sean knew CPR just like me, and that made it easy to trust her as we worked together."
The student developed a faint pulse and breaths, and per the AED instructions, continued CPR for around 11 minutes more before EMT personnel arrived.
Without the intervention of Spillane staff, the student likely would not have survived.
"Their response was immediate, professional and absolutely saved that girl's life. There's no question about it," said Bevin Gordon, CFISD director of health services. "The specific rhythm that the student's heart was in required a shock from an AED to recover. If she had been anywhere else where an AED was not present, she may not have recovered."
The student returned to Spillane on Tuesday to the delight of both Stiewert and Cushen, who are reluctant to claim the spotlight as life-saving heroes.
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