Martin fourth grader honored for lifesaving CPR response

PeopleHealth

Mar 25

Written By Staff

Photo courtesy of West Michigan American Heart Association

A 9-year-old student from Brandon Elementary School was honored Friday by the American Heart Association after using CPR to help save the life of an adult experiencing cardiac arrest. Students, teachers, family members, and community members gathered as Logan Vangemert received the American Heart Association’s Heartsaver Hero Award during a school-wide assembly recognizing his quick thinking and lifesaving actions.

“The energy in the auditorium at Brandon Elementary School in Martin, Michigan was something you could feel the moment you walked in,” said Remi Monaghan, Marketing Communications Director, West Michigan American Heart Association.

Earlier this year, Logan learned hands-only CPR through the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge program at his school. Shortly after completing the training, he was faced with a real-life emergency.

While in the children’s room at his church, a Sunday school leader named Tom suddenly collapsed from cardiac arrest. In a moment that could have easily turned tragic, Logan stepped forward. After Tom’s wife began CPR but froze under pressure, Logan took over, performing hands-only CPR for several minutes alongside other adults until an AED was found and used to restart Tom’s heart.

Tom has since made a full recovery after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery and receiving a pacemaker. He was released from the hospital in late February and continues to recover at home.

"Logan's actions are a powerful reminder that anyone, regardless of age, can make a difference when they are equipped with the right tools and knowledge," Monaghan said.

More than 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital each year in the United States, including approximately 23,000 children, according to the American Heart Association. Immediate CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival, yet nearly 90% of people who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not survive. Nearly 70% of cardiac arrests occur at home, often involving someone known to the responder.

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