A Granby man is lucky to be alive after suffering what’s believed to be a heart attack at a high school athletic field, and a high school senior is credited with saving him.
Cassia Shoaf had just finished classes at Granby Memorial High School and returned to the field Monday afternoon to train for her college soccer team. She never expected to come across what she did – the man was lying there, clearly in trouble.
“I ran over to him and I was trying to talk to him, and he wasn’t really responsive,” Shoaf said. “I was talking to 911 to help him, and hten he stopped breathing.”
Shoaf is certified in CPR and knew what to do to keep him alive.
“In that type of situation, I didn’t really have time to be scared,” she explained. “I just had to trust my skills and hope for the best.”
A short time later, Officer Jeff Murphy arrived at the scene and rushed over to help. He used a defibrillator while Shoaf continued CPR.
“She was doing exactly what she should have done. She was trained; she used her training,” Murphy said. “She gave us time to get here with our equipment.”
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Then paramedic Steven Johnson arrived on scene and took over the CPR.
“After four or five minutes of resuscitation by Officer Murphy and Cassia, the patient had regained a pulse, which was remarkable,” Johnson said.
While many are calling Cassia a hero, she says she’s just happy to be part of the team that saved this man’s life.
“I don’t consider myself a hero,” she said. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”
Shoaf is looking forward to her high school graduation on Friday. She’s off to college after that, and is planning to put her CPR training to good use – she’s pursuing a career in the medical field.
