Reilly Campbell didn’t feel quite right on the morning of the first day of classes.
Reilly, 38, was starting his tenure as the dean of students for grades 7-9 after moving to Marist School from Florida.
As an avid runner and basketball coach, Reilly considered himself in good health with no immediate family history of heart issues. He woke up as usual at 5:45 a.m. and played with his son, Palmer, who was just over a year old.
“I decided to proofread an email for work around 6:45 a.m. and sent it off before getting ready to work,” Reilly said. “All during that time, I felt very jittery and ‘panicky’ in my chest. I mentioned something to my wife, Kasey, and she felt my chest and said my heart was racing.
“She asked if I thought I should stay home, to which I replied, ‘It’s the first day of school. I am going to school.’ So, off I went around 7 a.m.
“While turning into Marist, I went into cardiac arrest.”
Zach Bazemore and Patrick Murphy, who work in campus planning and operations, saw Reilly’s truck crash and leaped into action. So too did Brookhaven police Sgt. Jay Smith, who provides security for Marist; school nurse Hannah Waldman; and Marist parent Nicole Brady.
Someone called an ambulance, and paramedics responded within minutes and deployed a defibrillator. These tools can be used to treat a person whose heart suddenly stops, as Reilly’s did.
The ambulance carried Reilly to Northside Hospital Atlanta, which is less than 3 miles from Marist.
“I don’t remember much from my time at Northside, but I do want to acknowledge the care and support both my family and I received while I was there and in the months afterward,” he said.
Reilly credited the work of Drs. Andrew Yen, Michael Yin, Mirza Ali, Alok Gambhir, Joshua Armentrout, J. Jeffrey Marshall and Lalitha Medepalli, and their staffs.
“When I was in the hospital, each time I spoke with Dr. Yen, I came away feeling like the experts had me in their care and I was in the right place,” Reilly said. “My team of nurses, docs, support staff, etc., were all amazing. I would be remiss if I did not mention nurse Ed (McBride) by name. He was assigned to my room for two days and he was exactly what I needed at that time.
“His attention to detail, explaining all that was going on with my care and body — he was perfect.”
Reilly recovered and is back at school, and Marist started its second term with an all-school assembly on Nov. 12 to focus on the life-saving impact of knowing CPR and of using automatic external defibrillators.
Marist has had portable AEDs on campus for at least 20 years and now has nearly two dozen available in case of a cardiac emergency. The assembly marked the launch of a schoolwide initiative on teaching CPR and training on AED use and emergency preparedness.
“Knowing lifesaving practices like using CPR and AED use saves lives,” Marist principal Kevin Mullally said. “Mr. Campbell’s remarkable story brings a real and profound significance to this knowledge within our community.”
The people involved in saving Reilly’s life also were honored. This included Dr. Marshall, who as president of the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Cardiology lobbied for a bill to require K-12 schools in the state to have AEDs.
Reilly told students his cardiac experience provides a life lesson.
“This is a great story, but the purpose is to make this story great for someone else,” he said, citing three key lessons from his recovery: Practice gratitude daily, lean into the Marist community and be ready to help.
Learn more about heart care at Northside.
Pictured: (top) Reilly Campbell, dean of students for grades 7-9 at Marist School, speaks at an assembly on the importance of knowing CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators. (right) Northside Hospital Heart Institute's Dr. J. Jeffrey Marshall.
*The health story shared here is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Patients should consult with their own physician before making medical decisions.
