Avon Grove students help save man’s life

A man suffered a cardiac incident while exercising

JENNERSVILE » On only his third week as a lifeguard at the Jennersville YMCA, Shaun Kushnerock and two other Avon Grove High School students, as well as an off-duty state trooper, helped to save the life of an elderly man.

Late last November, a member of the YMCA suffered a cardiac incident while exercising there. When the code red announcement was made, the students jumped into action, grabbing the first aid pack and AED machine.

At the scene, the team met the state trooper, who was already performing CPR on the unconscious man. Together they utilized the AED machine and administered oxygen once breathing resumed. EMS soon arrived and the gentleman was taken to the hospital and has since been released.

“It feels good to know that I helped, but it feels like it needed to be done,” said Avon Grove senior Kushnerock, one of the students who jumped into action. “It’s just what I had to do.”

Associate Executive Director of the YMCA, Nic Legere said he is proud of his staff.

“The YMCA is extremely grateful,” Legere said. “We put a lot of time and resources into training our staff, and they handled the situation exactly how they were prepared to do so.”

Avon Grove High School Principal Scott DeShong said he was proud of his students.

“As educators, we always value those situations when students can apply what they know,” he said. “However, when the application of that knowledge involves saving a life and impacting a family, that is a situation that makes a difference in a community.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO Avon Grove students, from left to right, Long Tran, Shaun Kushnerock and Josh Prosser helped save a life at the Jennersville YMCA.