Emma McLeish stands next to Kyra L. Noerr, an associate professor of exercise science at Franklin College. McLeish said that Noerr is one of her educational mentors in the field.
Submitted photo
Most people won’t save a life in their lifetime, but a Franklin College student has done it twice.
Emma McLeish, 21-year-old junior, has saved lives after witnessing two life-threatening emergencies within months of each other.
A few days ago, McLeish was sitting at her desk at the Community Life Center of Mount Pleasant Christian Church, when she heard another member of staff yelling to call 911. Upon doing so, she ran toward the shout and discovered a man in his 50s lying on the floor with a blue face and no pulse. McLeish determined that the man was suffering from cardiac arrest.
With 911 still on the phone, McLeish began chest compressions and told the telecommunicator that she was going to deliver an AED. She also instructed someone else to run to her car and grab a CPR mask she had received from class.
“Being in the medical profession, I feel like I need to be specific if I am calling 911,” McLeish said. “I told them, ‘I understand that you are telling me what to do, but I know what I am doing.’ I needed them to focus on sending backup because I wasn’t sure how much time he had.”
McLeish shocked the man once with the AED and continued giving him CPR until the firefighters arrived. The man is now recovering, but she was assured that the outcome would have been different if she had not intervened.
“Her training and knowledge allowed her to act quickly in a situation that saved a life,” said Melissa McLeish, Emma’s mother and a registered nurse at Franciscan Health in Franklin. “When I was her age, I had an idea of what to do during those situations, but I don’t know that I would have reacted in the same way that Emma did.”
This year has been anything but normal for a Franklin College student. In July, McLeish was babysitting for a close friend when the pregnant mother of the children suddenly went into labor. Almost immediately, the head of the baby was beginning to crown when McLeish rushed to her rescue.
After calling 911 and keeping her cool, McLeish recalled her training at Franklin College and began to deliver the infant.
“She pushed and after about 10 minutes the baby was out,” McLeish said. “I stimulated the baby to cry and to breathe, and then put her on the mom’s chest to keep her warm until the EMTs arrived.”
McLeish admitted afterward that she could not believe that it was actually happening, but she strived to remain collected.
The baby is completely healthy.
“Mom told me that I was very calm in that situation,” she said. “I thought I was freaking out but I guess it was just my head that was telling me that I was freaking out.”
Twice a hero, McLeish was at least familiar with emergency procedures due to her familial ties and also her education at Franklin College. Both her mother and grandmother are nurses and two of her greatest inspirations.
McLeish studies exercise science and was originally planning to pursue a career as a physician’s assistant, however, the recent events may have influenced her to seek a slightly different path.
She is currently wondering on whether she would rather work toward a career in emergency trauma, where she could continue to save lives of the people in her community. This is a career choice her grandfather greatly supports.
“I think this might be a sign,” said Jerry Keifer, McLeish’s grandfather. “She delivered quite a service to the mom [of the baby] and to the gentleman who she saved.
“Emma is a take-charge type of person. This stuff comes naturally to her. She’s always ready to tackle any task and see it through. I always tease her and her siblings that if there is one thing that they’ve obtained from the Keifer family, it is that they have their grandfather’s charm. That may be my sole contribution to her ability to make things happen.”
With McLeish being the third generation in her family to pursue a career in the medical field, Keifer added that there must be some quality in their family that causes them to rise to the occasion.
McLeish added that although emergency situations can be scary, it is important to try to stay calm, focus on the situation and not be shy about jumping in to help.
“With both situations, I would have done what anyone would have done,” McLeish said. “I never expected to be interviewed for it because that’s not me.
“I don’t want people to think that I did it for the glory. I care about people. That’s the reason I do what I do.”
Melissa McLeish also emphasized the importance of being conscious of the nearest AED device and she encouraged the significance of CPR training. She hopes to raise awareness for both life-saving procedures.
