North Side staff, student saves life of another student after performing chest compressions

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A North Side High School student has her teachers and classmates to thank for help saving her life. Abey Luttman collapsed at the end of the school day. Her teachers performed chest compressions until first responders arrived.

On Wednesday, September 21, the school’s health and wellness teacher, Melanie DeGranchamp was walking in the hallway, when a student ran up to her and said a student needed help.

“I saw it was one of my volleyball players from last year,” said DeGrandchamp. “A girl I was actually very close to. I dropped to my knees and I saw Tyler was with her. We checked her pulse, and Tyler and I together, determined she was not breathing, and I immediately started doing chest compressions.”

Tyler Byall is a senior at North Side. A year and a day earlier, his heart had stopped. Doctors installed a defibrillator in his chest in case it happened again.

“I knew what needed to be done some how,” Byall said, who was the first one to attend to Abey. “We were there, and we did the chest compression and checked the pulse.”

Byall helped with the chest compressions, and sang “Stayin’ Alive.” Something he had learned as a way to perform chest compressions properly.

The school nurse, Sunny Stachera, grabbed the school’s automated external defibrillator, which had to be used to revive Abey.

Other facility members who helped were principal Chad Hissong and football coach, Ryan Hall.

“Everybody without being told sort of took a different role,” said Stachera. “Tyler was up here, Mr. Hissong was at her head, encouraging her, saying “stay with us Abey, keep breathing,” Mr. Hall was on the phone with 911.”

Abey had a defibrillator installed last week. She returned to school on Monday, on a part-time basis.