On April 27, Northridge High School junior Connor Moss was participating in a 45 minute work-out program in the school’s weight room when he stepped into the hallway to cool off. Moss’s friend heard him collapse and quickly called for help.
Northridge High School athletic trainer Leigh Otis and Weber State University student athletic trainer Amanda Jennings quickly rushed to the scene, began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and used a portable automatic defibrillator to revive Moss. Within minutes, Moss regained consciousness.
“When we found him, the only thought running through my head was that we were going to have to do CPR,” Jennings said. “It’s a surreal feeling … I wasn’t scared or nervous; I knew exactly what we were going to have to do, and we just kind of got to it.”
Layton Police Sergeant Clint Bobrowski said the cause of Moss’s collapse was unknown. When emergency responders arrived to the scene, Moss was alert and breathing.
Moss was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital to be further tested and evaluated.
“[Leigh and I] were both beyond happy that [Moss] survived,” Jennings said.
While many called Otis and Jennings local heroes, Jennings said they were simply doing what they, as athletic trainers, have been trained to do.
“Neither Leigh or I see ourselves as heroes,” Jennings said. “For her, this is just something that may happen while on the job. For me, it solidifies the reason I want to become an athletic trainer.”
“Seeing our athletic training graduates leading successful careers is, by far, the most rewarding aspect of teaching,” said Valerie Herzog, Weber State’s graduate athletic training program director. “For one of our alumni and current graduate students, Amanda Jennings, to work together to save a life makes me incredibly proud to have been a part of their education.”
Jennings expressed her gratitude for the knowledge she has acquired while being a student in the Weber State Athletic Training department.
“I am completely confident that if any one of the students in the program were put in the same situation I was, they would know how to react,” said Jennings.
Weber State University offers both an undergraduate and graduate degree program in athletic training.
