HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — Hollidaysburg Area High School student-athlete Spencer Davis has three words he hopes his classmates and community hear: “Take a class.”

Spencer collapsed on the field during a high school football practice in September. But thanks to the quick action of his trainers who immediately began performing CPR, he was saved.

“Spencer is incredible. His heart is perfect. The doctor said his heart was perfect. All the tests came back normal,” said Spencer’s mother, Jennifer Davis.

The Davis family took what could have been a tragedy and turned it into a message that they hope will inspire others to learn CPR. They honored the coaches, athletic trainers and first responders who treated Spencer during a CPR awareness event Thursday evening at Hollidaysburg Area High School. But these heroes believe the best reward is seeing Spencer continue his journey.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hollidaysburg athlete pleads for CPR training after nearly dying on the field

“Obviously the best thing, the best outcome here is that Spencer is OK,” said Joe Montrella, assistant football coach at Hollidaysburg Area High School.

According to the American Heart Association, while commotio cordisthe disease from which Spencer suffered, is extremely rare, it is unpredictable and fatal in 97% of cases if CPR is not started within three minutes after the heart rhythm is disrupted by a sudden, blunt blow to the chest, causing a sudden cardiac death.

“Sudden cardiac arrest does not discriminate. This can happen to anyone. It could happen, I mean it could have happened to Spencer playing baseball in the backyard with his friends,” Jennifer Davis said. “The two biggest sports in which this has happened are baseball and lacrosse. It’s not football.

“You never know what’s going to happen. You know, you don’t want to have a child’s life in your hands, I guess, and feel that responsibility. So anything you can do to prepare for a situation, the better off you are,” Montrella said.

After confirming that an unconscious patient is not breathing, you should place the patient flat on a solid surface and begin CPR by placing your hands in the middle of the chest and performing chest compressions to a depth of two and a half inches and at a frequency of 100 times per minute. And, if available, you should use an AED.

“Even if we are able to perform compressions and get cerebral blood flow, we need to get the heart rate back to normal, and the only way to do that is with an AED.” In most children and adolescents, collapses, especially during sporting events, are due to a fatal heart rhythm. So unless we use an AED, we can’t resuscitate that person,” said Kristi Montrella, a cardiology nurse practitioner at UPMC and wife of Joe Montrella.

The UPMC Altoona Foundation and Department of Cardiology donated two AEDs to the Hollidaysburg Area School District to ensure their availability.

Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports updates delivered straight to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletters.

“It’s incredible. This makes me so happy. Just seeing a life-saving event can raise a lot of awareness and it shows. Just the fact that I’m here shows that they’re worth a lot and even though it’s a lot of money, it saves lives,” Spencer said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For breaking news, weather, sports and streaming videos, visit WTAJ – www.wtaj.com.