Student heroes jump into action to save history teacher who went into cardiac arrest: 'Eternally grateful'
Texas history teacher Adam Compton owes his life to students who jumped into action after he went into cardiac arrest during an after-school club meeting, putting their quick thinking — and CPR training — to good use.
"I'm just eternally grateful. That's what it comes down to," Compton shared with "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday.
"It's amazing and thank you guys so much. I'm glad you all were there," he told student Steven Amaro and high school athletic trainer Amanda Boyd, both of whom helped save his life.
Compton sponsors an after-school skate club for teens at MacArthur High School in San Antonio. He was present with the group when he lost consciousness.
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"I felt myself kind of snap out of what felt like a daydream, which alarmed me. I'm supposed to be there watching the students, so I asked one of them, ‘How long have I been out?’ He said, ‘A few minutes,’ and that's the very last thing that I remember," he recalled.
Luckily, Compton found himself in a room of skaters ready to do their part to save his life. Some ran to fetch Boyd, knowing her guidance would help. Another dialed 911.
By the time Boyd arrived at the scene, Compton was on his side, colorless and seemingly lifeless. The situation was dire.
"Immediately I knew that he needed serious help, so I pulled him over [onto] his back and took his pulse, and there was no pulse there. Immediately I knew he needed CPR if he had any chance to live."
Amaro, a MacArthur High School senior, had become ADRCPR-certified just a couple of weeks before Compton went into cardiac arrest, he told a local outlet.
He and junior Aidan Anthony Gonzalez grabbed the defibrillator, placed the pads on compton and administered a shock. Boyd told the same outlet the shock was "apparently" what revived Compton.
"Once the paramedics came, I let them take over, and I took the boys to sit on the side to let the gravity of the situation sink in," Amaro told Fox News' Carley Shimkus.
"We were all scared 100%, but I think I was the most confident because I knew if I was calm that it probably lead to a better outcome. Because if you're panicked, you're going to be thinking what to do next and not thinking – in order – what to do."
CPR training is required for Texas students at least once between grades 7-12.
Compton is now back at school and has returned to his regular life.