ABC 15 News
by Tonya Brown
VIDEO
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Misty Barrett and Jimmy Barrett are praising staff members at Carver Elementary School in Florence for what they did to save their 11-year-old son’s life Monday after he went into sudden cardiac arrest.
Barrett said she was at work when school administrators called her about their son, Luke.
She added they immediately went to the hospital to be with Luke.
“I heard them talking in the background. Given a report on the patient coming in I heard them saying that he was pulseless at school. And they use the AED to shock him to bring him back. Me and my husband were there. And he just fell to his knees. Didn’t know what to think,” said Barrett.
She added he was taken to the hospital by EMS and later airlifted to a facility in Charleston, where he remains.
AED’S deliver an electrical shock to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.
South Carolina law requires AED’s to be placed in all high schools.
Barrett said she’s thankful Carver Elementary had an AED that staff members were trained to use.
“Instead of being here at MUSC, getting treatment, I could have been planning a funeral. And it is just overwhelming and I am just so thankful. Had it not been for the staff and the AED. He wouldn’t be standing here.”
She said her son has a condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Barrett said she and her husband had no idea Luke suffered from a heart condition.
They said he appeared to be a perfectly healthy 11-year-old boy.
The American Heart Association’s website says Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is “Most often diagnosed during infancy or adolescence, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the second most common form of heart muscle disease, is usually genetically transmitted, and comprises about 35–40% of cardiomyopathies in children.”
It says, “HCM affects up to 500,000 people in the United States, with children under age 12 accounting for less than 10% of all cases.”
The American Heart Association website goes on the signs and symptoms HCM varies in how it presents and progresses.
The organization said, “While some children have no or mild symptoms, others may have more severe symptoms including heart failure. Some patients develop abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) that may put them at increased risk for sudden cardiac death. Children under 1 year of age often have symptoms of congestive heart failure whereas older children may be symptom free and, therefore, may be unaware that HCM is present. Onset of symptoms often coincides with the rapid growth and development of late childhood and early adolescence. The strenuous exercise of competitive sports has also been known to make symptoms of HCM more apparent. ”
Barrett said they’re still learning more about the condition.
She added Luke is in the pediatric care unit awaiting a defibrillator.
She added he could come home Saturday, but not too sure at this time.
Barrett said she and her husband are forever grateful to the nurse and staff members at Carver Elementary School.
” I am extremely humbled and grateful for the staff there that jumped in and saved his life.”
