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Kimberly Houk ReportingA 17-year old Clearfield boy is alive and recovering this afternoon thanks to the quick actions of his high school English teacher.
Seth Thomas went into full cardiac arrest during class on Wednesday morning. His teacher immediately started CPR, a skill he learned 15 years ago, but it all came back to him just in time to save his student's life.
Shane Thomas, Father: “I could’ve been planning my son’s obituary today, if it wasn’t for that teacher.”
Bob Reed, an English teacher at Clearfield High School, used CPR to keep Seth Thomas alive after he collapsed in full cardiac arrest. Students noticed Thomas violently shaking, gasping for breath. They alerted their teacher and Reed says he instantly knew what to do.
Bob Reed, Teacher: “Very clear, it was more than a still small voice, very clear – start CPR.”
Along with help from several of his students, Reed kept Thomas alive until paramedics could get there. At the hospital doctors diagnosed Thomas with Wolfe-Parkinson-White syndrome. Instead of having just one pathway where electrical currents flow inside of his heart, Thomas has two, causing his heart to work doubly hard and simply wearing it out.
But it is something that can be corrected, and thanks to his high school English Teacher, Thomas is still alive, and he'll receive an operation to correct his defect on Monday morning.
Doctors say Thomas is very lucky that he happened to be in English class when his heart gave out, in a place where people could help.
