RIVERSIDE, Ohio (WDTN) — March is National Athletic Training Month, and two Kettering Health athletic trainers are being credited for saving a Stebbins High School student’s life.
Alex Brummett and Emily Martz jumped into action when three-sport athlete Ebonie Sherwood collapsed during track practice. They quickly started CPR and used an AED before paramedics took her to a hospital.
“In those moments we are so versed in our protocols. You kind of just click into it, you just go through the steps and procedures in your head because you went through them so many times that it kind of becomes instinct,” Brummett explained.
That instinct helped save Sherwood’s life, but Martz said it is their job to be prepared.
“That’s why we’re there. We purposefully plan and we meticulously go through these plans with all of our coaches every single year. We meet with the EMS every year. We’re always ready for these types of situations,” Martz said.
Brummett and Martz are employed by Kettering Health, and have been working together at Stebbins High School for the last several years. For them, athletic training is more than just a job, it is a calling.
“You have the opportunity to really make an impact and really make a difference with these kids. And to me that is just the absolute best part of my job,” Martz said.
They enjoy getting to form relationships with each of the students, and being someone students can turn to no matter what. Martz said athletic trainers do not just treat injuries, they help with the emotional part of them, too.
“They know that they can come to one of us and we can treat their injuries, but they also know, hey, they had a really hard day at school, and they can also come to us, and they can just vent throughout the day,” Martz said.
Brummett and Martz are being called heroes for helping save Sherwood’s life. They said they are grateful for all of the support they have received throughout this difficult time.
“I knew we were appreciated and I knew we did a good job, but just seeing the outpouring of support from our patients and our parents just means the world to me because it means that we’re making a difference,” Martz said.
They hope athletic trainers will continue to be celebrated for the lasting impact they make on student athletes.
“A lot of times we help kids just cope with some of the things that happened to them and having that resource right on the sideline and available at any given time is intangible for some of these kids,” Brummett said.
Brummett and Martz will be honored at the Mad River Local School Board meeting on Monday.
