NEILLSVILLE PRINCIPAL LUCKY TO BE ALIVE
Friday, April 17th, 2009 -- 2:50 PM
Neillsville?s Elementary School principal is lucky to be alive after suffering a heart attack in his office Thursday afternoon.Mark Craig credits school staff, ambulance personnel and the school?s defibrillators with bringing him back to life.
Craig suffered the attack while working in his office.
"All I know is I was working on the computer doing some summer school scheduling. The next thing I knew, I was in the Neillsville hospital," Craig recalls.
Luckily, Middle School principal Tim Rueth heard Craig collapse and went to investigate.
He quickly called the school nurse, administrator John Gaier and staff member Larry Anason, who administered CPR and used the defibrillators to get his heart beating again.
"From what I heard, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them," Craig says. He says Delores Schmidt, John Gaier and Larry Anason saved his life.
"I have to give the board and everyone a lot of credit for having those AEDs. I wouldn't be here if they didn't have those things," he says.
We talked with Craig on Friday afternoon. He?s in the Critical Care Unit of St. Joseph?s Hospital in Marshfield. He says he?s doing alright, but is sore from the chest compressions and hitting his head.
Doctors found one of his arteries was 80% blocked.
He thanks everyone from the community that?s shown their support.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.