March 5, 2024 – Rosenberg, Texas – Thanks to swift actions taken by Lamar CISD Assistant Athletic Trainer Jayci Boudreaux-Stewart, Lamar CISD Police Officer Edgar Villegas, and Student Athletic Trainers Hannah Thomas and Brayden Wheeler, a Lamar Consolidated High School student can breathe a sigh of relief for the foreseeable future.
"The faster we act in a cardiac situation, the better survival rates an inpidual in cardiac arrest has,” Boudreaux-Stewart said. “I am thankful that I was able to use my skills as a Certified Athletic Trainer to assist a student in need.”
The afternoon track practice on February 22 started out routinely enough until one of the students collapsed outside the field house at Traylor Stadium. The student had no pulse and stopped breathing.
Thomas and Wheeler responded quickly and adeptly to the situation. Thomas retrieved the defibrillator while Wheeler flagged down the nearest custodian, Gilbert Moreno, who opened the gates to allow paramedics access to the stadium. As paramedics were enroute, Boudreaux-Stewart attached an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and began performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
“I kept thinking ‘He needs to be okay,’ and I knew that I couldn’t stop performing CPR until he was with EMS—no matter how long it took,” Boudreaux-Stewart said.
Boudreaux-Stewart continued chest compressions until Officer Villegas arrived on-site and took over CPR duties.
“My first thought was the safety and well-being of the student,” Officer Villegas said. “The fast action of our team saved the young man’s life, and I’m thankful I was able to render support during the crisis.”
By the time the paramedics arrived on-site, the student’s pulse had returned, and he was breathing again on his own. He was transported to the hospital, where he received further treatment.
“I am forever grateful for the fast and decisive actions of our first responders,” Lamar Consolidated High School Principal Sierra King said. “I am especially proud of our student trainers for using the skills they learned in class here to help save a Mustang in need.”
Incidentally, March is National Athletic Training Month, which recognizes the important work that athletic trainers perform daily. Boudreaux-Stewart, Villegas, Thomas, and Wheeler will be recognized at the Lamar CISD Board Meeting on Tuesday, March 19 for their life-saving actions.
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