Lowell Elementary School Principal Susan Howard is alive today because of some colleagues’ quick actions.
Howard, 58, collapsed during a staff meeting Wednesday morning at the Warren Township school. When colleagues rushed to her side, they found her unresponsive — and could not detect a pulse.
Two teachers, Christy Hartman and Anne McGrath, quickly grabbed one of the school’s portable defibrillator units and applied the training they had received on how to use the device. Simultaneously, another staff member rushed to call 911.
After receiving the defibrillator’s shock, Howard regained a pulse. Today, Howard was recuperating at Community Hospital East, where doctors determined that she had suffered a ventricular fibrillation.
“Her cardiologist and the paramedics said if not for the defibrillator and the training of the staff, she would have lost her life,” said Linda Wise, executive secretary at Warren Township Schools’ central office.
The principal’s husband, Mike Howard, had told Wise she could share Howard’s story as a testament to the device’s value.
“We’re all very thankful,” said Jennifer Holdcraft, student dean at Lowell.
The staff learned today that doctors have determined Howard sustained no permanent heart damage from the incident, which occurred at around 8 a.m. Wednesday. Holdcraft was unsure exactly when Howard would return, but she wouldn’t be surprised to see her soon.
“This is her school, and she loves it dearly,” Holdcraft said.
Howard has been principal at Lowell Elementary since 1989 and has worked in the district since 1973.
Lowell has had a heart defibrillator device for about five years.
