MONROVIA, Ind. — The principal of Monrovia High School said a medical emergency happening during the school day is one of the worst nightmares of educators.
Just like many nightmares, Oct. 5 began normally.
"We send Jacob off in the morning like any other time that you send your child off to school. Then the call nobody wants to hear, there's an emergency at school and get over there quick," said Sean Mikeworth, Jacob's father.
When Sean and his wife Amy arrived, they learned their son, Jacob, a junior at Monrovia High School, had a cardiac episode during choir class.
"I drop my binder when we are done singing, but my head came with it and I fell forward," Jacob said.
Once alerted, teachers and staff immediately jumped in to provide CPR and shocked him with an AED.
"I'm glad that I have the connections I do. These are the people I have in my life. They were there when I needed them most," Jacob said.
That emergency was the first time they used their AED. They say if there's one thing they learned Thursday, it is the power of preparation.
"(Without) the immediate response of knowing what to do and the timeliness of it he wouldn't be here with us today," Sean said.
Thursday, the teachers, staff, and first responders involved were honored for their bravery.
"I think anyone out there not trained in CPR or AED might hesitate because they are not confident in what they do. It works, and you have to put that indecisiveness aside because it does absolutely work and it saved Jacob's life," Principal Mike Springer said.
Jacob is back in the classroom, but he has little to no memory of what happened. Doctors still don't know what caused the cardiac episode.
Jacob must limit his activities and wear a life vest that will deliver a shock if it happens again. He said he's sharing his story so people understand the importance of AEDs and knowing CPR.
"This is not something that usually happens to anyone. This is something that can happen at random and the fact that there were people there who saved me – that was sweet of them," Jacob said.