COLUMBUS, Ohio — Prom night at St. Charles Preparatory School was a special night for Jack Gibbons. He got to reunite with his students for the first time since March.
In March, Gibbons woke up one day not feeling like himself, but went to school anyway.
“I began talking to several of my boys in my homeroom, and then, as I was talking to them, I collapsed on my desk and fell off and hit the wood floor,” said Gibbons.
His students quickly called for help. Then, the nurse stepped in to do CPR and used a defibrillator before EMS took over.
“They worked on me for about 50 minutes in my room and then brought me out. On the way to OSU I think they shocked me seven times,” said Gibbons.
Gibbons went into cardiac arrest. One of his doctors, Dr. Nkechi Ijioma, said students and staff saved Gibbons life.
“That is what saved his life. The quick call for help, CPR, chest compression and using the defibrillator,” said Ijioma.
Gibbons said he feels fortunate to be alive and fortunate to be a part of the St. Charles family. He attended the school when he was a young kid, and now has taught there for almost 20 years.
“I still love every minute of this job and the good people around here. They became even more important to me after what they did for me,” said Gibbons.
When Gibbons went into cardiac arrest, the students came together and prayed for Gibbons - something he said meant the world to him.
“I got emotional being a Roman Catholic and it was Good Friday. I heard that and I wasn’t surprised, but very emotional and touched by that,” he said.
Now, he wants to share his story so other people don’t go through what he did.
“I assumed there were no problems and there was. Get yourself checked, get yourself scanned,” said Gibbons.
