Beekmantown teen Ryan Long honored for saving his grandmother's life

BEEKMANTOWN | The day before New Year's Eve delivered twists of fate and life lessons that summoned a happy ending for one family here. School was closed for holiday break, and Michelle Hunt said she got home from work not feeling well. She and husband Charles "Charlie" Hunt are raising their fourteen-year-old grandson, Ryan Long. And he was home. School was out. "I had come home from work, I said to Ryan, I need to lay down, I don't feel well," Mrs. Hunt said of a day they won't soon forget. "A friend called me, and I told her I wasn't feeling great," she said. That was the next lucky break. "My friend was worried, and she called Ryan -- he answered, he was home -- and she told him 'Go get Lola's phone and call me.' He calls me Lola," Mrs. Hunt shared. "He did, he came in the bedroom. He told her I was vomiting. He went and brought me a garbage can, and then he told her I had passed out. He couldn't feel a pulse. My friend said 'I'm calling the ambulance, you call your grandfather." Meantime, having stopped in at work, Mr. Hunt was leaving Thomas E. Glasgow Elementary School and realized he left his phone inside the locked building. Mr. Hunt has worked at the Bailey Ave. school for 35 years. "I left my keys at home and got into the first door, but I was stuck in the vestibule," Mr. Hunt said. He kept trying to draw attention from one of a sparse staff inside the building. Eventually, the secretary spotted him and let him in: Another favorable twist of fate. No sooner did Mr. Hunt get his phone when a FaceTime call came in from Ryan. On the video line, Mr. Hunt could clearly see his wife was in dire need. Ryan said the ambulance was called, but wasn't sure what to do. Making a beeline to the University of Vermont Health Network, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), Mr. Hunt ran into the Emergency Room, calling for help while Ryan raised alarm from the phone. Mrs. Hunt wasn't breathing. Linda Dumbuya, RN and Kaylee Miller, RN were working in the ER triage area and heard their calls coming from the waiting room. "I heard a kid screaming in the waiting room," Dumbuya said. "I didn't know he was on the phone; I was with a different patient. I was looking for the kid everywhere," she said. "Then I heard a man say start CPR, so I ran out." "There was no kid, and he (Mr. Hunt) handed me the phone," Miller said. It was a first FaceTime CPR coach session for both ER nurses. But it, too, was fortuitous. "There is a lot that we do experience in the ER," Dumbuya said. "All different types of situations; it's not always black-and-white, you have to be creative to find solutions sometimes... but never via FaceTime. He started doing chest compressions and we kept reminding him that he was doing a good job." "I felt like panicking," Mr. Hunt said. "Ryan did better than I did." Mrs. Hunt said she remembers nothing. But she does know that her grandson's decisive, unrelenting actions kept her alive, the net result of a string of contacts, FaceTime and two skilled nurses at CVPH. "The nurses grabbed the phone and spoke with Ryan and walked him through CPR. He kept me alive for over seven minutes, doing CPR nonstop. That's when police showed up, and they took over. They did CPR for three or four more minutes," she said. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was able to stabilize Mrs. Hunt enough, she said, for transfer to CVPH. "I remember waking up in the hospital asking what I was doing there and why. They told me I had had a heart attack. They still don't know what happened," she said. With no prior heart conditions, and none indicated in post event evaluation, Mrs. Hunt said the doctors think an artery didn't open at the right time. "Never in my life have I had heart problems," she said. "The doctor says it was a freak thing, but he can't promise it will never happen again." It got emotional for everyone on Friday, Jan. 30, exactly a month later. The life-saving team reconvened at Beekmantown Central School to share in a special award ceremony for Ryan. EAGLE OF EXCELLENCE To honor the 8th grader, Beekmanown Middle School Principal Duffy Nelson worked with CVPH to plan a ceremony, conferring the school's top honor, The Eagle of Excellence Award. All 170 students in Ryan's class filed into the school auditorium, occasionally shouting out "Ryan!" from their seats. The award, Nelson said, is given to a student who takes action when character and decision-making truly matter. "Preparation, prompt thinking and compassion came together in a life-changing way," she said. "Today, we are honored to recognize Ryan Long with the Eagle of Excellence Award for showing courage in action. In a moment when staying calm and acting quickly made all the difference, Ryan stepped up," she said, "and saved his grandmother's life." Because of his courage, she said, "Michelle Hunt is here with us today, and that is something truly extraordinary. "Your bravery, selflessness, courage, compassion remind us that leadership can show up in unexpected moments and that our students are capable of incredible things. Ryan, we are so proud of you," Nelson said. "Michelle, we are grateful to have you here. And to the Long and the Hunt family, thank you for sharing this meaningful moment with us." CVPH then presented Ryan with their Health Care Hero award, saying he rose to the occasion, performing life-saving CPR coached by nurses Dumbuya and Miller via FaceTime. "That takes bravery and courage," CVPH Chief Nursing Officer Carly Haag said. "You don't have to be a nurse, a doctor, or an EMT. You have to be the right person with the right set of skills with the right information at the right time to be able to save a life." Haag gave Ryan the Health Care Hero award. Despite camera lights, Ryan was composed and calm. He said that day was the first time he had ever performed CPR. "I was confused and concerned about what was happening," he said, "so I called (my grandfather) to get help and figure out what was happening. There was a lot going through my head," he allowed. "I was quite nervous, yes. "I'm very grateful to have (Lola) here right now," he said. "I just want to say, never give up on something that you're trying to do. If you're thinking of doing something positive, then do it." "We're so proud, so proud," the principal said. For Mrs. Hunt, her grandson is a blessing. "I told him I am extremely proud of him. I am extremely thankful. He's my living angel. Everybody was right in just the right spot that day." Mrs. Hunt wanted to make sure people know anything can happen where CPR is needed. Nelson agreed. After speaking with Mrs. Hunt in early January, she set aside time throughout the school day Jan. 30 for Grade 8 CPR training, using space in both the school gym and the library. ........................................ 8TH GRADE CPR TRAINING Sharing the right set of skills at an opportune time, CVPH sent six clinical experts to Beekmantown Central School and a few dozen CPR manikins for students to work on. Chief Nursing Officer Haag said CVPH Basic Life Support instructors were happy to take the time to work with the teens. "This is about community working with community." In the gym, students knelt on the floor testing heart compression on dummy torsos. They were nervous at first, unsure of how hard to push or how fast to pump. Grade 8 classmates Haley Calloway, Alexa Gonzalez and Maheleannah Douglass pressed hand-over-hand in steady rhythms, checking to keep the green light on the dummy's shoulder lit. CVPH Clinical Education Coordinator Shana Riel coached them through rounds of CPR. "You have to keep going at a steady pace, applying pressure, but not too fast," she encouraged. "That's what Ryan did, and he has his grandmother here today." Life-saving measures became a serious subject at school on Friday. "I can't believe Ryan kept that going for seven minutes," Haley said.

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Beekmantown teen Ryan Long honored for saving his grandmother's life

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