Ronnie Renfrow’s heart stopped while he was making a delivery at McCulloch Intermediate School/Highland Park Middle School in May.
But thanks to his heroes, school nurses Amanda Settle and Stacy Eckeberger, he’s now recovering, and is looking forward to spending more time with his five young grandsons.
“If it wasn’t for Stacy and Amanda, I would have died that day,” Renfrow said. “Those ladies saved my life.”
Renfrow had finished unloading printing and copying equipment at MIS/HPMS on May 23 when he collapsed and hit his head on a pallet.
School staff called Settle, Eckeberger, and 911.
The nurses had been preparing the Raider clinic for the summer holiday. It was the last day of school, and they were returning leftover medications, locking up, and cleaning. Students were scheduled to go home in about half-an-hour.
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When the nurses heard that there was a medical emergency, their training and experience kicked in. Settle, who reached Renfrow first, tried to awaken him. Eckeberger quickly arrived, and the nurses asked a custodian to get the school’s top-of-the-line automated external defibrillator (AED). They checked for but failed to find Renfrow’s pulse.
Settle and Eckeberger used the AED to deliver a shock to Renfrow’s heart, then performed CPR for two minutes before checking whether a second shock was needed. The machine advised that it was not — Renfrow’s normal rhythm had been restored.
Emergency medical services transported Renfrow to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where he woke up two days later.
Reached by phone in September, Renfrow said he was a little weak, and his memory was foggy on certain things, but his future looked promising. He didn’t have any heart damage from his accident, which he thought must have been caused by a heart attack.
He was scheduled for a surgery to address arterial blockages and was hoping that after his recovery he would be able to return to full duties at his employer, DEX Imaging, and to his music. Renfrow played the drums at Billy Bob’s Texas the night before his collapse.
“I cannot thank Amanda and Stacy enough. If they had not been there and been good at what they do, I would have died. I owe those two ladies my life,” he said. “I’m just blessed that the Lord was with me through this ordeal.”
Settle called Renfrow to check on his recovery during the summer, but the nurses did not see him again until the Sept. 23 meeting of the Highland Park ISD board of trustees. At first, they didn’t recognize the now-healthy Renfrow, who brought his nurses a rose and thank you card.
During the board meeting, Eckeberger and Settle received Life Saving awards for their professionalism and unwavering dedication to those in their care. But the nurses said that their actions aren’t deserving of such recognition; they’re just second nature.
They have a passion for helping others and feel lucky to be part of the HPISD team, which is dedicated to providing the best possible care to students, staff, and the community.
“We’re honestly just grateful to have had the equipment and the training and the background to be able to help him in that situation,” Settle said. “Because it could have been so, so incredibly different.”
