St. Charles teacher recovering after having heart attack in class

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) – If a loved one went into cardiac arrest, would you know what to do?

Staff and students from St. Charles Preparatory were put to the test when a teacher suffered a medical emergency just minutes before the start of the school day.

That teacher is now spreading the word about the importance of AEDs and having a plan. Jack Gibbons tells NBC4 he only remembers pulling into the parking lot the Thursday before Easter. He said doesn’t remember taking the three flights of stairs to his classroom or collapsing in front of a few students before the start of homeroom.

“While speaking to them I was told I collapsed at my desk and fell off to the side, fell on the wood floor and the boys immediately went to get help,” Gibbons said. “The teacher called 911 which is what they were supposed to do and then our team that we practice CPR went to work.”

Using their training the staff utilized the AED for minutes, carefully listening to the device guide their efforts.

“They used that on me one time and the machine said wait, don’t do anything,” Gibbons said.  “They worked on me for like 10 minutes. They couldn’t wake me up.”

The work on the educator continued into the ambulance and upon arrival at OSU East. It was there he was shocked seven times. A widowmaker heart attack was the culprit. Gibbons received a total of four stents to address a 95% blockage.

“I woke up and people explained to me I knew that that crew had helped me, that the training group had helped me because I would’ve done the same thing instinctively,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons said looking back he sees the signs of fatigue and shortness and breath. He tells NBC4 while he is happy to be alive and thankful for those around him who stepped up in his time of need, he wants to stress the importance of practice and having a plan for cardiac arrest to anyone willing to listen.

“You know what to do when you’re trained — you don’t think too much about it, you just do it,” he said.

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