Case Study: 6-Year-Old Texas Boy Saved by Project ADAM-Trained School Staff

Jeremiah Harry, 6, and his identical twin brother, Jayden, both recently underwent surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital to receive implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) after Jeremiah experienced sudden cardiac arrest while at Robert E. King Elementary School. Courtesy of Karla Henriquez

By Catherine Dorrough

When six-year-old Jeremiah Harry went into sudden cardiac arrest at Robert E. King Elementary School in Katy, Texas, his teachers and principal sprang into action to keep him alive until emergency personnel could arrive on the scene. They performed CPR and utilized an automated external defibrillator, buying him time until paramedics arrived to stabilize and transport him to Texas Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Center. 

Their efforts made Jeremiah the first pediatric heart patient to be saved through Texas Children’s Project ADAM initiative, according to a press release from the hospital.

Project ADAM, which stands for Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory, is a nationwide group that helps schools make AEDs readily available and facilitates CPR and AED training to school staff. It was founded in 1999 by parents Patty and Joe Lemel in memory of their son Adam, who collapsed and died while playing basketball after suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest. In Houston, Texas Children’s Hospital has partnered with Project ADAM to coordinate the types of preventative care that might have saved the 17-year-old’s life.

Courtesy of Karla Henriquez

“Regardless of the experience and expertise of physicians, or the quality and technology of hospital facilities, it is all for naught if appropriate actions aren’t taken immediately when an individual in the community experiences sudden cardiac arrest,” said Dr. Santiago Valdes, pediatric cardiologist and Medical Director of Project ADAM at Texas Children’s Hospital and Associate Professor of Pediatrics-Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, in the press release. “Every minute counts following a cardiac arrest, and the importance of quick, educated action by those surrounding the affected heart patient cannot be overemphasized.” 

Jeremiah and his identical twin brother, Jayden, were both diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as infants and have taken beta-blockers to help prevent abnormal heart rhythms. After Jeremiah’s cardiac arrest, both boys underwent surgery on the same day this spring to have implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) placed in their hearts to help regulate proper cardiac rhythms, according to the press release. Despite those efforts, cardiac arrest is still a risk.

“We are so proud of how swiftly our emergency response team jumped into action to protect the health and well-being of our most vulnerable students,” said Tammi Wilhelm, Jeremiah’s principal, in the press release. “Each of our elementary nurses is trained and certified in CPR and AED practices, and they also serve as instructors for other staff. King Elementary became a certified Heart Safe School through Texas Children’s Hospital’s Project ADAM program in November 2017.”