A Plant High School student who was saved by a school nurse three years ago is set to graduate this year and is on a mission to save others.
- Plant High student saved by nurse set to graduate
- Charlie Curtis passed out during fitness test freshman year
- School nurse, Kayla Spilman, saved his life
During his freshman year, Charlie Curtis was running laps for a fitness test when he collapsed from heart problems and almost died.
“I went down to one knee and someone asked me one more time, ‘Are you OK?’ and I gave them two thumbs up and then I passed out on the ground,” Curtis said.
Luckily, school nurse Kayla Spilman wasn’t too far away and knew exactly what Curtis needed.
“I grabbed the trauma bag and as soon as I saw Charlie, I knew he needed the AED (Automatic External Defibrillator),” Spilman said.
Curtis said he doesn’t run much anymore, but has started working with the American Heart Association, advocating for defibrillators. He even started a school club.
“The WHAT Club--World Health and Treatment. We get a lot of people educated on CPR,” Curtis said.
And Curtis will never forget the woman who saved him.
“Everytime you see Charlie, no matter if we’re in the crowded hallway, he always runs up and give me a hug,” Spilman said.
Curtis said he is just happy to have finished his final lap at Plant High. He now has to take special heart medicine and wears a pacemaker. He also said everyone in his family knows CPR now, and he has helped to train many students to learn as well.
Charlie plans to go to University of Florida in the fall.