ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A doctor, vacationing with his family from Illinois, saved the life of a 17-year-old girl suffering from cardiac issues at Disney World, according to a news release by Silver Cross Hospital.
The release published on June 18 said Dr. Jeffrey Schiappa, a family medicine physician with Premier Suburban Medical Group in Illinois, and his family were enjoying the first day of their vacation at Disney’s Hollywood Studios when he noticed a couple of young girls sitting on a park bench crying.
“Then, I saw a young woman on the ground, not moving,” Schiappa said in the release. “I checked her pulse, and it was irregular. We found an AED; Disney has them everywhere. 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.”
Schiappa’s son Joe, who assisted CPR with two unidentified good Samaritans, learned the girl was on a band trip from Pennsylvania once paramedics arrived.
The news release states the trip leader got in touch with her parents, who said she wasn’t on any prescription drugs or had any other conditions they were aware of.
The girl was later diagnosed with Long QT syndrome (LQTS), officials said, a heart rhythm disorder that causes fast, chaotic heartbeats — which can be life-threatening.
“Doctors implanted a pacemaker, and I understand she’s now doing very well. I heard from the parents, and they were very grateful,” Schiappa said in a statment. “They sent me a nice note.”
Schiappa, who had only been at the park about an hour before saving the girl’s life, said he was thankful he and others were in the right place at the right time.
“If this had happened when she was away at college after graduation, she could have died,” Schiappa said. “The same could have happened if I hadn’t noticed the crowd around her. I’m so thankful.”
“What we did was successful, thank God,” Schiappa said.
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