‘Without those people, he wouldn’t be here’: Williston teen survives heart attack in school thanks to staff, AED

WILLISTON, N.D. (KUMV) - A Williston teenager’s parents feared the worst when they learned his heart stopped during school. But he’s alive and recovering thanks to quick thinking by the staff and an emergency device. His mom said they gave her son a second chance at life.

Sophomore Caleb Mosley is back walking the halls of Williston High School. He suffered a sudden heart attack during class on January 29.

“What I probably was doing was just sitting in class with my friends. I probably passed out,” said Caleb.

His mother, Kimberly, was working at the middle school at the time.

“I got the gist that his heart was beating again, but he hadn’t woke up,” said Kimberly.

School resource officers gave Caleb CPR, and District Nurse Lynn Douglas used an AED to restart his heart. The medical efforts to heal Caleb were only getting started.

“Intubation was pretty rough. There was a lot of blood from the CPR in his lungs. The intubation was extremely difficult. They had to keep sucking out blood,” said Kimberly.

He eventually had to spend time at medical centers in Fargo and Rochester. Fortunately, doctors told them they avoided the worst.

“The day before they woke him up, they told him to squeeze my hand and he did. Then they said wiggle your toes and his little toes were wriggling,” said Kimberly.

Caleb was cleared and released a week later, on February 5. Doctors were unable to find the cause. As a precaution, they installed an ICD in Caleb’s heart, which works as a personal defibrillator should he suffer an unexpected attack.

“It doesn’t affect my day-to-day. I don’t do too much,” said Caleb.

It was a scary time for the Mosley’s, but today they’re thankful for all the support, especially the school district.

“I just don’t think without those people and without the equipment and the district having the AED, he would be here,” said Kimberly.

Caleb doesn’t remember much of the events, but he said he’s doing well and getting back to his routine.

“It will mostly be fine. I feel like when I get back to work I won’t have to do much stuff where I carry heavy stuff,” said Caleb.

The odds of a teen having a heart attack are minuscule, and coming back mostly unscathed is rare, too. But Caleb was able to pull it off and return to his normal routine, all thanks to the planning of his school district.

Douglas was unavailable for an interview but said in a statement she’s incredibly grateful Caleb is still here to share his story.

“What could have been an unimaginable tragedy instead became a powerful example of what teamwork, preparation, and faith can accomplish when people come together in a moment of crisis. In a moment that was frightening and overwhelming, we came together without hesitation,” said Douglas.

The family has started a GoFundMe to help with expenses. More information can be found here.