Grapevine is celebrating first responders who sprang into action to save an 8-year-old boy after he went into cardiac arrest. Their quick thinking made all the difference.
On Monday, Grapevine Fire paramedics and first responders were honored for their heroic efforts after they saved an 8-year-old boy who went into cardiac arrest.
Andre Dirks was born with a congenital heart defect and has lived with a pacemaker since he was 9 months old.
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WATCH HERE"He was born with a hole in his heart. He was a preemie, was born at 29 weeks and weighed two pounds," said Jessica Avendano, his mother.
She said last month, the battery in his pacemaker ran out.
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SIGN UP "He was laying down, he was watching his tablet when it fell on his face. I thought he fell asleep because he's done that before, where he's just watching the tablet and fell asleep," explained Avendano. "I heard a gurgling soun,d and that's when I realized something was different."
The 8-year-old was having a seizure, according to his mother, and that's when she told her older son to call 911.
"As soon as he stopped seizing, I realized he wasn't breathing. So I placed him on the floor and was proceeding with CPR," said Avendano. "I never thought I'm going to have to do CPR on my 8-year-old."
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She said she remembered doing chest compressions, hearing the ambulance, but doesn't remember paramedics coming inside the house.
"It wasn't until we got on scene that we saw he was an 8-year-old with a pacemaker," said Zachary Hall, a firefighter and paramedic for Grapevine.
"We didn't really realize it was a child, so everyone kind of assumed their position and I pulled out my calculator, we started doing math just to make sure we got all our dosages right because like he said, it's different for kids," said Ethan Welch, a firefighter and paramedic for Grapevine.
The two first responders credited their training for kicking into gear when the time came to save the child's life.
Welch, who's been with the department for about a year, said this was his second cardiac arrest call, but first for a child.
He said that between medicine and a defibrillator, they were able to keep Dirk alive.
"Right after the shift, I went home and held my daughter tight," said Hall.
The 8-year-old was taken to Medical City Children's Hospital, where he was treated and released.
"They helped me," said the 8-year-old.
"Learn CPR, learn it. No matter whether you have a child who's sick or anybody who is sick. I think it's something to have in the back of your mind and don't panic," said Avendano.
She learned the techniques from Medical City Children's Hospital in the past.
"It's something that I stress for all of our families. It's essentially a life-saving skill, and you can see that from Andre. He's remarkable because of how his mom jumped into action," said Terri Mannan, director of the congenital heart program with Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas.
"I know I helped, but I think it's because of them (Grapevine EMS) continuously working; they worked in the house, in the ambulance, and all the way there (to the hospital). If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here with my 8-year-old," said Avendano, who became choked up.
Everyone from dispatchers, first responders, Avendano, and others was recognized for their lifesaving skills by Medical City Dallas.
"Thank you," said Dirks as he met with firefighters and got a tour of the fire trucks on Monday.
