School staff honored for providing life-saving CPR to 6th grader who collapsed during basketball practice
PHILADELPHIA - Staff members who rushed to save the life of a 12-year-old boy who collapsed in the school gym were honored Wednesday night for their heroic efforts.
Steven Green, a sixth grader at Bala Cynwyd Middle School, was participating in a morning basketball program at the school in February when he collapsed.
"I was the first one there, his friends were saying ‘Steven, are you okay!?’ I ran over there and Steven was on the floor and I checked his pulse and there was nothing there," Gym teacher Adam Miller said.
Miller called 911 and school nurse Mary Clary rushed into the gym to provide emergency CPR. Clary told FOX 29 she had recently been re-certified in CPR from by a fellow district nurse.
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Gym teacher Collin Whiteside helped with CPR until paramedics from Narberth Ambulance Company arrived and rushed Steven to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"I keep thinking over and over again about everybody that helped out and how prepared everybody was and thank god everyone was willing and able to do what they did that morning," Whiteside said.
It was later revealed that Steven has a condition called ARVC, a disease of the heart muscle that causes irregular and potentially life-threatening heart rhythms. Steven was also honored on Tuesday with the Chief's Award for overcoming the life-threatening odds.
"I can't thank everyone involved enough on behalf of our family to still have my baby boy , my only son, it was a remarkable day," Octavia Anderson, Steven's mother said.