Quick thinking, right equipment help save girl's life
The tragic loss of a young Carlsbad student in 2001 sparked a campaign that saved the life of another youngster nearly a decade later.
In 2001, retired Carlsbad Fire Captain Kim Blaylock and his wife, Michele, lost their seven-year-old daughter, Kendra, to sudden cardiac arrest while on a family vacation. Captain Blaylock was trained in CPR, but without lifesaving equipment the efforts sadly were not enough.
Following the loss of Kendra, the Blaylocks made it their mission to put an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) device on every Carlsbad campus. The family raised $50,000 and worked with San Diego Project Heartbeat to make this happen.
By 2003, CUSD had become the first school district in California to install an AED at each site, with a cross-section of staff trained in its usage. On Dec. 18, 2012, a fifth grader at Hope Elementary became the 107th person in San Diego County saved by an AED.
As he recalled the Dec. 18 incident, Hope Principal Richard Tubbs modestly noted, "We had the right people and the right equipment at the right time." Without hesitation or time to think, Tubbs said his staff jumped into action.
After custodian Catherine Torres alerted Tubbs, a former CPR instructor, that a student had collapsed on her way to recess, the principal calmly and rapidly went into response mode. Tubbs was soon joined by Health Technician Jennifer Thirkell, who began administering chest compressions. In the meantime, Instructional Assistant Jennifer Caraglior had run to the office to grab the AED device.
Within seconds, all three were teaming up to save the young girl's life. Caraglior and Thirkell are among the many Hope staff trained to use an AED, which features automatic voiced instructions and applies a shock when a heartbeat is undetected.
Other Hope staff members also jumped in to help, leading students away from the scene and cordoning off the area. As the staff later reflected on the incident, everyone agreed their emergency training paid off. Thirkell pointed out, "There wasn't time to be afraid."
The student has returned to school and is making a successful recovery. All of us at CUSD are so proud of Principal Tubbs and the Hope heroes for their preparation and skillful response. We also want to thank the Carlsbad Fire Department for arriving on scene so quickly after the 9-1-1 call. Finally, we are especially grateful to Kim and Michele Blaylock for spearheading the AED campaign that made it possible for every CUSD school to have these lifesaving devices on hand.
The Carlsbad Unified Board of Trustees along with Project Heartbeat representative Maureen O'Connor honored Principal Tubbs, Jennifer Caraglior and Jennifer Thirkell with well-deserved "Team Power" and "Good Samaritan" awards. A poignant comment from the student's mom posted on the Internet shortly after the incident said it all: "Thank you to the Heroes who saved my daughter's life."
It may sound like a clich?, but as educators, our job is to educate. Yet our schools and staff do so much more. From ABCs to AEDs, each day we work to keep students safe and sound.
The tragic loss of a young Carlsbad student in 2001 sparked a campaign that saved the life of another youngster nearly a decade later.
In 2001, retired Carlsbad Fire Captain Kim Blaylock and his wife, Michele, lost their seven-year-old daughter, Kendra, to sudden cardiac arrest while on a family vacation. Captain Blaylock was trained in CPR, but without lifesaving equipment the efforts sadly were not enough.
Following the loss of Kendra, the Blaylocks made it their mission to put an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) device on every Carlsbad campus. The family raised $50,000 and worked with San Diego Project Heartbeat to make this happen.
By 2003, CUSD had become the first school district in California to install an AED at each site, with a cross-section of staff trained in its usage. On Dec. 18, 2012, a fifth grader at Hope Elementary became the 107th person in San Diego County saved by an AED.
As he recalled the Dec. 18 incident, Hope Principal Richard Tubbs modestly noted, "We had the right people and the right equipment at the right time." Without hesitation or time to think, Tubbs said his staff jumped into action.
After custodian Catherine Torres alerted Tubbs, a former CPR instructor, that a student had collapsed on her way to recess, the principal calmly and rapidly went into response mode. Tubbs was soon joined by Health Technician Jennifer Thirkell, who began administering chest compressions. In the meantime, Instructional Assistant Jennifer Caraglior had run to the office to grab the AED device.
Within seconds, all three were teaming up to save the young girl's life. Caraglior and Thirkell are among the many Hope staff trained to use an AED, which features automatic voiced instructions and applies a shock when a heartbeat is undetected.
Other Hope staff members also jumped in to help, leading students away from the scene and cordoning off the area. As the staff later reflected on the incident, everyone agreed their emergency training paid off. Thirkell pointed out, "There wasn't time to be afraid."
The student has returned to school and is making a successful recovery. All of us at CUSD are so proud of Principal Tubbs and the Hope heroes for their preparation and skillful response. We also want to thank the Carlsbad Fire Department for arriving on scene so quickly after the 9-1-1 call. Finally, we are especially grateful to Kim and Michele Blaylock for spearheading the AED campaign that made it possible for every CUSD school to have these lifesaving devices on hand.
The Carlsbad Unified Board of Trustees along with Project Heartbeat representative Maureen O'Connor honored Principal Tubbs, Jennifer Caraglior and Jennifer Thirkell with well-deserved "Team Power" and "Good Samaritan" awards. A poignant comment from the student's mom posted on the Internet shortly after the incident said it all: "Thank you to the Heroes who saved my daughter's life."
It may sound like a clich?, but as educators, our job is to educate. Yet our schools and staff do so much more. From ABCs to AEDs, each day we work to keep students safe and sound.