During the 12 and under Allstar State Tourney, our pitcher was hit by a hard line drive directly to the heart. He immediately fell to the ground and started convulsing and then went into cardiac arrest. CPR was performed on the mound by two parents from other teams that happened to be nurses, one of whom was Cristen. They jumped into action and that is the only reason he is alive today.
He was rushed to Shands Hospital and a day later, he is the result of a miracle. The cardiology team visited him this morning and said that only 10% of people with his injury live through it. That percentage only goes to 50% if trained medical personnel are on the scene. And all receive permanent damage. He has no damage to his heart and received no damage to his ribs from CPR. He is an unlikely result of this injury. It was the scariest thing most of us have experienced in our lives. Boys from both teams were crying and praying while being kept in the dugouts, watching this all unfold. Watching his mother urge him to take a breath is something they (and the rest of us) will never forget.
This patient was admitted to Unit 44 and I happened to be present when he was discharged. The patient and the family came to our unit looking for Cristen. They all had tears in their eyes and couldn't stop thanking Cristen for "saving their son's life". Cristen showed extraordinary compassion and provided the best nursing care to a child, who unexpectedly became her patient. This is a great example of the huge impact UFHealth Shands nurses have in our community!