Two high school students are being hailed as heroes after they saved their history teacher’s life.
Adam Compton, 46, was at a skate club with his students at MacArthur High School in San Antonio when suddenly he went into cardiac arrest on November 7.
Students around the club recalled seeing him mess up a trick and sitting down. Within seconds, Compton began hyperventilating and then eventually passed out.
‘I was skating real mellow that day, trying to save energy, be able to do some more tomorrow and what I remember is sitting down for a little bit,’ Compton told KEN5.
Immediately, one student rushed to call 911 as others went to grab MacArthur Athletic Trainer Amanda Boyd who quickly began compressions on the teacher.
‘So, I turned him over and looked for a pulse and I couldn’t find any and from there I knew he needed CPR, so I began compressions,’ the trainer said.
Fellow students Aidan Anthony-Gonzalez and Steven Amaro instinctively ran to get the automated external defibrillator (AED) from where it was stored and started getting ready to use it on Compton.
‘I had two main thoughts going through my head, the “Oh my God this can’t be happening’ thought and then that I have to do something,” Gonzalez said.
Adam Compton, 46, was at a skate club with his students at MacArthur High School in San Antonio when suddenly he went into cardiac arrest on November 7
Fellow students Aidan Anthony-Gonzalez (left) and Steven Amaro (right), instead ran to get the automated external defibrillator (AED) from where it was stored and started getting it ready to use on Compton
Amaro, a high school senior who had recently received his ADR-CPR certification, began helping Boyd place pads on his teacher and administer a shock.
‘Apparently that shock is what revived him,’ Boyd told KEN5 .
The teen also told KSAT12: ‘I never thought I would have to do it in person because it’s something you don’t expect. And it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing that should never happen to anyone.’
Within minutes, EMS arrived at the scene and Compton was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors later discovered that the teacher was suffering from a genetic heart disorder which caused him to go into sudden cardiac arrest.
‘We always thought it was a heart murmur, ever since I was a kid,’ Compton revealed.
He was then fitted with a pacemaker at the hospital and with a few weeks of recovery, returned back to school.
Even though Compton cannot skate for now, he is back with the skate club – which has long been sponsored by him.
Amaro, a high school senior who had recently received his ADR-CPR certification, quickly began helping Boyd place pads on his teacher and administer a shock
‘I had two main thoughts going through my head, the “Oh my God this can’t be happening’ thought and then that I have to do something,” Gonzalez later said
Doctors later discovered that the teacher was suffering from a genetic heart disorder which caused him to go into sudden cardiac arrest
He was then fitted with a pacemaker at the hospital and with a few weeks of recovery, returned back to school
Students said they were relieved the moment they spotted him in his history class after his miraculous recovery.
‘As much as he’s our teacher, he’s also one of our best friends,’ Gonzalez said.
In a separate video statement, Compton also thanked the community and said: ‘I am just, I’m insanely grateful. I’m 46 years old, and I’ve got teenage kids and a wife and, so it’s been a real sobering thought.
‘Just thinking about, like, what if you guys hadn’t been there? Thank you, guys. Pat yourselves on the back and everything. You can be very proud of yourselves.
‘I’m really glad I was here and glad I’m still here. I look forward to skating more. I’m going to live life under 140 beats a minute now. But I’m only able to do it just because you guys jumped up and did it. So, thank you guys’.
