Quick action by staff at Wellsville saves life of student on Friday

That's all it took for an entire middle school gym class in Wellsville to be evacuated into a cafeteria, for 911 to be called and for two nurses to have an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) at the side of a 12-year-old child who collapsed while jogging.

On Friday around 8:15 a.m., Wellsville Middle School student Derek Vaughn was doing a routine jog around the gymnasium with his class when he collapsed and stopped breathing. School officials credit the work of the staff, the AED and the Wellsville Volunteer Ambulance Corps for having him alive and ready for treatment at Jones Memorial Hospital.

Today, Derek is in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where he was airlifted Friday morning.

Ralph Vaughn Jr., Derek's father, said his son is on a respirator but only until doctors can figure out why he collapsed.

"He is comfortable and he knows why he is on life support," said the father. "He's not talking because of the respirator but he's not in danger. He's totally fine and wants his classmates to know he's fine."

The father praised the school for saving Derek's life.

"We could've lost him if not for the school acting so quickly as they did ... we would have lost him." he said. "The defibrillator at the school saved him."

Doctors at Strong are running tests on Derek.

"Derek is doing the best that can be expected and we still don't know what happened or why it happened," said Ralph Vaughn. "Al tests came back negative. They thought maybe there were drugs in his system or maybe he ate some Halloween candy that was laced with something but again, all tests came back negative."

Derek will be at Strong Memorial at least a week. Ralph Vaughn works at U.S. Shred for Bill Austin and said the company is supporting him as he tends to his family.

"The entire community of Wellsville is pulling for Derek and we appreciate the prayers and support," he said. "The Wellsville ambulance squad, the staff and Jones Memorial and the staff at Strong Memorial have been phenomenal - tell the kids Derek is going to be OK. He just won't be OK for a while. But eventually. He'll be back at school."

On Monday night, Wellsville Central School Superintendent Dr. Byron Chandler will be recognizing nurses Kathy Holla and Hope Gilfert for their quick work to save the child along with other members of the staff during a school board meeting.

"There aren't words to describe the actions of our staff," said Dr. Chandler. "I am extremely proud of them, from the nurses to the PE teacher who was in the class at that time, to the faculty to took care of in terms of the rest of the students who were in that class. Plus, they got counselors available to students who were emotionally impacted by this event ... we're just very proud of them."

Dr. Chandler said the AED units are near the gym and at all sporting events in case of blunt force trauma, of someone is hit in the chest hard by a ball or a head injury that causes them to stop breathing.

"That was not the case here - he simply collapsed and stopped breathing," said Dr. Chandler. "Had this happened just an hour earlier at his house or at the bus stop, the AED would not have been available.

"We're very thankful we had the AED available," he continued. "Without that, we may not have been able to make sure this young man arrived at the hospital alive."

As for the AED, only trained staff members have keys to use an AED and Dr. Chandler said a large number of the staff are trained and have the key.

"We're pleased that so many members of the staff have been trained and it truly is a life saver."