The moment to act is rarely anticipated. Heroes typically don’t expect the call.
But for Highland junior Nehemiah Cook, and Highland teacher Sammi Allen, the call came. Luckily, they were both ready to answer.
Just a few weeks apart, both Cook and Allen sprang to action to save the lives of someone in distress near them. For Cook, it was a complete stranger, while Allen saved one of her students.
Both never expected to be in the position, but they both acted without hesitation.
This past February, Cook was riding the UTA Trax when her call to action came.
Cook frequently takes the Trax to get home and one day after school, she was on the trax when she heard screaming. She found out that a man was having a seizure, was no longer breathing and was quickly running out of time. Despite being seventeen years old, Cook knew exactly what to do.
She pulled out her phone and opened the stopwatch app. Using the stopwatch to keep timing, she performed CPR on the man. She kept him on his side for about five minutes until she noticed him starting to crash. He was unresponsive so she turned him onto his back. She then gave him chest compressions and told his girlfriend when to give him breaths. At this point, he was foaming at the mouth.
“After maybe a minute, he kind of coughed and gasped so I turned him to his side so the fluid would leave his mouth,” Cook said. “Then I had the ladies around him call 911 while I held him on his side and waited for the first responders to come.”
In this situation she remained calm and logical throughout, but for those who know Cook that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Everything she has done has trained her for such a response. She is a captain on the wrestling team, plays softball, and is a former cheerleader. She’s been in intense situations. They were not necessarily life threatening, but she is used to performing under pressure. This year through wrestling, she took first place in the 5A division and got third place in the state tournament.
Cook’s intense story took place on the Trax but Allen’s took place at Highland. Allen is a special education teacher and was assisting a student at lunch when her heroic story began.
Allen’s student was eating pizza when they started to choke. Allen saw the signs of distress; the student had a panicked look and was unable to cough or breathe so Allen began performing the Heimlich. The student is in a wheelchair, so the skill was more difficult to execute, and two other staff members ended up having to lift them out of the chair so it could be done successfully. After a couple minutes, the student coughed up the pizza.
“I was so scared,” Allen said. “I was shaking, and I thought I was going to vomit afterwards.”
An occupational therapist and a physical therapist were later brought in to observe the student eating. This was done to ensure the student’s food is being prepared in the best way possible in order to prevent more accidents.
Allen’s and Cook’s CPR knowledge came to the rescue in these situations and two lives were saved because of them.
During Cook’s time at Highland, she has taken health from Sydney Havell and medical anatomy from Robert Campos. Through these classes she was able to learn CPR and get CPR certified.
“We always tell them we really hope no one ever has to do CPR on someone,” Havell said. “However, in the case that we do need somebody to, we hope that they are enabled with the confidence where they can step up and do it.”
Though Havell no longer teaches health, when she did, she dedicated several school days to teaching it to the students. The first day, she required students to watch a video and afterwards they practiced on CPR dolls. Then for the next couple of days the class was taught by firefighters who came and taught students how to perform CPR, infant CPR, rescue breaths, and the full details regarding the skill. On the final day, students received CPR certifications. One of those students being Cook.
“She was a high schooler surrounded by adults and she was the one to actually feel confident enough to step up and do it” Havell said. “And one of our ultimate goals is to get these kids to feel like they can do it no matter their age.”
Highland offers multiple CTC pathways, two of which are Health Sciences and Protective Services. Through these classes students can get CPR certification. Students interested in firefighting can become fire cadets. Through this program, they can receive a wildland red card, an EMT certification, and more. It’s a great program that teaches students valuable skills they might need to use one day. The firefighters involved in these classes are the same ones who certify the students in health class. This helps students become prepared for the possible emergency situations they might find themselves in, situations like Cook’s and Allen’s.
