MAXTON — What seemed like an ordinary day at Purnell Swett High School soon turned to a life-saving moment when a local father rushed in with his child, who had turned blue from lack of oxygen recently.
Thanks to the quick actions of several dedicated staff members, the child, who had stopped breathing, was given immediate lifesaving aid. Later, after receiving medical care, then 4-year-old Brystol Dial made a full recovery.
Brystol along with her parents Whitney Demery and Holden Dial visited the school on Friday to thank school staff for their part in a miraculous life-saving event.
Brystol, who suffers with asthma, was home with her family recovering from the flu when she began to have trouble breathing on January 15.
Her parents and grandfather quickly transported her to the school across the street, seeking urgent medical attention.
“I could tell we didn’t have time to wait on the ambulance,” Dial said. “I just had to get her somewhere as fast as I could … she had gone to turning blue around her lips … we got inside (the school) and everybody here they just took over.”
Vanessa Revels, a Health Science teacher at the school and Registered Nurse (RN) since 2006, was among staff members who took immediate action.
“I wasn’t prepared for what I saw,” Revels recalled. “That baby was blue.”
Purnell Swett High School Academic Coach Olivia Deese heard distressing communication over the walkie talkie from secretaries at the front of the school indicating that a small child needed immediate care. She then saw the scene from the school's media center and sprang into action alerting Vanessa.
Revels quickly entered nurse mode. With a medical background in pediatrics, she was able to help provide critical care in those tense moments alongside of school resource officers and school personnel including health services personnel.
“I think God had already orchestrated people to be where they needed to be,” Revels said. “It was a team effort. Everybody had a hand in it. The Lord was in all that.”
School resource officers, including Stevie Thompson, Jamie Oxendine and Chelsea Bouchard, quickly responded to the scene. Soon after, nurses arrived, and together with Revels, they provided life-saving assistance while waiting for emergency services. The fire and rescue team arrived shortly after and took over. Robeson County EMS Deputy Director Rico Rivera also worked to provide lifesaving measures to Brystol.
“When you’re in the moment, you revert back to your training,” SRO Chelsea Bouchard said, crediting the team’s swift action.
In a remarkable turn of events, what began as a routine school day ended as a testament to the power of quick thinking and teamwork.
“We were just doing our job,” said SRO Stevie Thompson. “We were doing what we have been trained to do.”
PSRC School Health Services Supervisor Jan Newman said training is critical in moments like those “when seconds count.”
“I am thankful for the quick actions of our Health Services staff,” Newman said. “You have to be prepared for the unexpected and I commend our team, school staff and all of the first responders for their dedication and lifesaving efforts.”
The family celebrated Brystol’s fifth birthday on Thursday.
“God let her stay,” Whitney said on Friday. “I can’t thank Him enough for letting her stay here … I’m overly thankful for everybody here,” she said looking around the room filled with school staff who responded in her time of need.