Advocate Spotlight: Amy Mitchell

Wednesday morning, November 29, 2017, began like most workdays, with a treadmill workout before heading to work as the principal of Red Mountain Elementary School. At 7:45 a.m., we gathered for our monthly faculty meeting. I used the opportunity to share a timely message, prompted by recent conversations with several staff members who had privately shared personal health challenges they were facing. I reminded my teachers that we are a family and that we must be mindful of the unseen struggles each of us carries. I shared that I had recently learned I have a genetic heart condition. I reassured them there was no cause for alarm, that while the news was disappointing, I felt better than ever and it would not impact my ability to lead our school.

I had no idea that just a few hours later, I would be fighting for my life after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.

That day happened to be especially busy, with three back-to-back meetings for all elementary principals at the school district office in downtown St. George. During the final meeting, I collapsed. A colleague seated beside me noticed and asked my husband, also a principal, if I was okay. Knowing about my heart condition, my husband immediately began CPR while others ran to retrieve an AED. My supervisor called 911. Our superintendent opened doors and waited outside to direct first responders. In a nearby room, my fellow principals and dear friends gathered together in prayer.

The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital two days later. My daughter sat by my bedside and told me I had been miraculously saved. I thought I was dreaming, I had no memory of what had happened. Later my doctor entered the room and told me plainly that had my cardiac arrest occurred at my school, he was certain I would not have survived because at the time, my school did not have an AED, and very few people were trained in CPR.

I returned to work before Christmas break and was greeted by sidewalks and offices decorated with hearts, along with hundreds of hugs that reminded me just how fortunate I was.

In the six months prior to my sudden cardiac arrest, I had seen three cardiologists -not one had suggested the need for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or emphasized the importance of immediate access to an AED. At the time, it was not yet known that sudden cardiac arrest was a possibility associated with my genetic condition.

I survived because I was in the right place at the right time, surrounded by people who knew CPR and had access to an AED. Every school, every workplace, and every community deserves those same life-saving tools and trained individuals. Sudden cardiac arrest does not come with a warning, and it does not discriminate by age, role, or location.

We cannot rely on luck to save lives. With increased funding, training, and access to AEDs in schools, we can ensure that when the unthinkable happens, survival is possible. My life is proof that preparedness saves lives.