Joe Krejci of Dallas was almost to the finish line of a 100-yard dash during his middle-school gym class when he collapsed onto the track. His gym teacher thought Joe had tripped. Then he saw the 13-year-old on his back with his eyes open.
The teacher called out to the two fastest runners in class: "Go get the nurse and AED!" He called 911 as the students headed toward the school building. Minutes later, the boys raced back with the school nurse; she brought an automated external defibrillator, a device that analyzes heart rhythm and delivers an electric shock to stabilize a person's heart rate. Paramedics arrived shortly after the AED advised a shock and while CPR was still underway.
In the emergency room, doctors put Joe in an induced coma to help him recover. He remained unconscious with a breathing tube for 48 hours. As his family waited, they feared he could have lasting cognitive challenges from having gone without oxygen to his brain.
When Joe woke up, his speech was gibberish and he couldn't remember what happened. His mother, Virginia, wet his lips with a sponge. "Stop it," Joe said, moving and trying to brush her off.
Virginia knew her Joe was back. Joe had experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. It's an electrical problem that happens when the heart malfunctions and abruptly stops beating.
Doctors didn't know why Joe's heart glitched. So they took steps to make sure it didn't happen again. Three days later, Joe received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or IC.
