West Park High School staff honored for saving student’s life after sudden cardiac arrest
By Peyton Headlee
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ROSEVILLE, California (KCRA) — A 16-year-old student at West Park High School in Roseville is alive today thanks to the quick actions of school staff after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest in the middle of class last month.
On April 10, sophomore Mark Moon collapsed in his band class. His teacher, Patrick Neff quickly made an emergency call to the school office. School nurse Jennifer Bair and School Resource Officer Adaris were among the first to respond.
“We knew right away, as soon as we walked in, that this was truly an emergency,” Bair said. “We called for EMS, got them dispatched right away.”
Bair began chest compressions after realizing Mark had no pulse, while a campus monitor retrieved an automated external defibrillator (AED). Meanwhile, other staff members worked to clear the classroom of students, assist EMS in getting to the correct classroom, and alert Mark’s parents.
“It tells you to shock if it is a shockable rhythm. And it did for Mark and saved his life,” Bair said.
EMS arrived shortly after, stabilized him and rushed him to the emergency room.
“It felt like doctors were rappelling from the ceiling. My memory is just there’s just people everywhere working on him,” his father, Chris Moon, said.
Mark spent a week in the hospital and now has a defibrillator implanted. Doctors are still working to determine why his heart stopped.
“I’ve been getting better every day and it’s pretty much back to normal now,” Mark said.
Although he doesn’t remember the day of the incident, Moon said he’ll never forget the staff who saved his life.
“I felt like really grateful that I was part of a school that had staff that was able to do that,” he said.
His father shared his appreciation, saying, “The school gave us more time with our kid and more time with our family intact. I don’t know how to say thank you to that gift.”
On Tuesday, eight staff members were honored for their life-saving actions at the Roseville Joint Union High School District Board Meeting. Mark sat in the front row to watch the recognition ceremony.
“When I saw him in that condition, I just knew that this was somebody’s baby, and this was somebody’s baby that I’m not going to let anything happen to. So, it was just good to see him alive and talking,” Bair said.
Mark is now back on campus and attending classes.
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