NEW LENOX, Ill. (WGN) – An Illinois doctor helped save a 17-year-old’s life while on vacation at Disney World with his family.
Dr. Jeffrey Schiappa, a family medicine physician with Premier Suburban Medical Group in Orland Park, said he and his family were at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park when he noticed a group of girls sitting on a park bench crying, according to a press release.
“Then I saw a young woman on the ground, not moving. I checked her pulse, and it was irregular. We found an AED; Disney has them everywhere,” said Schiappa, a doctor at Illinois’ Silver Cross Hospital. “I had never used one before, but the device walks you through it. I shocked her once, her body jumped, but nothing happened. The device told me to shock her again, and this time she started moving, but didn’t wake up.”
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As paramedics arrived, Schiappa’s son, Joe, learned that the girls were on a band trip from Pennsylvania. The trip leader contacted the girl’s parents, who said she was not taking any prescription medication or had any other conditions they were aware of…