Friday, April 18 was a normal day for Cindy Maron’s first grade classroom. Excitement was in the air as the class made a short trip upstairs to see live chicks hatching, a saga they had been watching via livestream.

Everything was normal said Maron, a teacher at Highbridge Hill Elementary School in New Ipswich, until it wasn’t.

“It was a regular school day,” Maron said. “I walked upstairs, as I normally would. I entered the classroom, and from there, I have a big gap. I do recall my vision getting hazy, blurry, and the next time I’m with it and knowing something was wrong, I was in the hospital.”

What had happened in that “big gap” was that Maron’s heart had stopped, in a sudden, unexplained cardiac arrest.

It happened in the classroom of Jamie Johnson, a reading specialist at Highbridge Hill. She said that Maron entered the classroom normally, asked her where she’d like the children to sit and got them settled. Then she walked behind them, and Johnson said it looked like Maron herself was getting ready to sit on the floor before she just collapsed.

Johnson said she grabbed her walkie-talkie to call for the nurse, and she and another teacher immediately ushered the students to the classroom next door. She said when she walked back into the room, Maron was still on the floor.

“That’s when I knew something was very, very wrong,” Johnson said. “I called for a medical emergency in my room, and right after that was when [school nurse] Kristy [Zina] came running.”

Zina said when she arrived, which was within about a minute, Maron was unconscious, not breathing and didn’t have a pulse.

Zina was joined by Vice Principal Lisa Wilkinson, who also serves as an EMT on the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance. Wilkinson brought the school’s AED, and the pair began to give Maron AED-assisted CPR. Principal Chris Saunders called 911 and began to lock down the building.

After two shocks from the AED, Maron had a heartbeat again.

Zina said that early intervention is key in these kinds of scenarios.

“It is so important,” Zina said. “The chances for survival for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is 9%. Your chances are best with immediate access to high-quality CPR and access to an AED.”

“I’m very lucky,” said Maron. “I’m very lucky that they were here and knew what to do for me. They saved my life. This happens more than people think, and they don’t have the same outcome.”

Maron was transported by ambulance to Catholic Medical Center, where she had a pacemaker and defibrillator installed. She said she was able to return to work on May 5. She said prior to her cardiac arrest, she did not have any major health problems, and no warning signs.

Now, she said, it has changed her perspective, including paying more attention when she enters public buildings and notices an AED sticker on the door.

“I walked into this building how many times, saw that sticker, and never gave it a second thought,” Maron said.

Maron and Johnson said the event changed how they think about emergencies and preparing students for them. The district has an emergency protocol for if something happens to a teacher in a classroom; students have access to a red card they can flash in the window of a neighboring classroom to fetch help. Maron said the event inspired her to think more deeply about how to guide students about what to do if she can’t respond.

Johnson said she has requested more first aid training for staff. She said before Wilkinson arrived on the scene, she didn’t feel equipped to assist with CPR, even though she had once been certified, years ago.

All involved said that the rapid response allowed by the walkie-talkies – a new policy implemented just this year – was one of the key factors to a good outcome.

“It made all the difference in the world,” Johnson said.

Zina said that if this had happened last year, Johnson or another teacher would have had to call for help by phone, wasting precious minutes.

“I think quick communication was a critical part of the outcome,” Zina said.

Zina said the best advice she can offer other educators who find themselves in a position to respond to a medical emergency, having a plan in place to summon help, knowing where the building’s AED is and at least how to turn it on are good first steps. For those who can, accessing CPR training can make the difference.

“It can save a life,” Zina said. “Have a process in place. Those points are critical. I’m so happy this was a really positive outcome. As awful an event as this was, being on the other side with the outcome we had is amazing. So many people were critical to how it happened. We’re a good team.”

That teamwork has extended beyond the event itself, Maron said. Since her return, she has been restricted from driving, and her coworkers have arranged a ride pool to get her to and from work – including Johnson.

“They’re my heroes,” Maron said, of the staff that jumped to her aid. “In action, these are the people I want to be around.”

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.