Fast-acting deputy called 'lifesaver' by Bedford football player's mom

Deputy Jeremy Lestock says he happened to pick a cruiser with a defibrillator. As luck would have it, he was taking a break at the substation near Bedford High School when the teen collapsed. THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Christopher Campbell remains in critical condition Friday. NOT BLADE PHOTO Enlarge

Minutes before the call that a Bedford High School football player had collapsed on the field, Monroe County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Lestock happened to take a quick break Tuesday evening at the police substation near the school.

The deputy became the first emergency responder on the scene after the victim, Christopher Campbell, 17, suffered a cardiac episode that stopped his heart.

Had the deputy been any farther from the scene, the teen may not have survived, officials said. Physicians and family credit the deputy - who brought a defibrillator with him - and football coaches who performed compressions for saving Christopher's life.

The defibrillator "was life-saving," Dr. Fouad Butto, Christopher's pediatric cardiologist, said.

When Deputy Lestock stopped by Toledo Children's Hospital on Thursday to check on the youth, who remained in critical condition, he said the teen's mother introduced him to extended family as "her lifesaver."

"In a situation like this, time is of the essence," Deputy Lestock, 33, said. "Even being a couple more miles away, I don't think the outcome would be what it was."

Christopher recently transferred from a school in Howell, Mich. to play on the same team that the deputy happened to have played on 15 years earlier. The boy collapsed and went into cardiac arrest about 10 minutes into football conditioning at Bedford Community Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Deputy Lestock said two coaches were taking turns performing compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when he arrived. Christopher wasn't breathing.

After three cycles of CPR, the deputy activated the device to shock the boy's heart back into rhythm just once.

That was while other coaches lead the team in a prayer down field, the boy's 15-year-old cousin, Dan Campbell, told The Blade earlier this week.

"It was probably one of the smoothest situations I've seen," Deputy Lestock said.

Neither the Campbell family nor coaches responded to requests for comment Thursday.

Though defibrillators are not in every patrol cruiser, Deputy Lestock said he unwittingly chose one that had the device. He has needed to use such equipment about twice a year, and at least 30 times in his career as a deputy and former firefighter.

Success is rare, he said.

"It's a good feeling," Deputy Lestock said. "It's nice to see an outcome like this."

The victim of a previously undetected heart disease, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, Christopher is on a ventilator in a medically induced coma.

Physicians induced hypothermia in a procedure commonly used among cardiac-arrest patients. His body temperature was gradually lowered to the upper 80s to preserve brain function that may have been at risk during the minutes his heart wasn't beating. The coma and hypothermia will likely be reversed, slowly, before tomorrow, Dr. Butto said. Little is known at this point about the teenager's brain function.

"Worst-case scenario is that he will be damaged neurologically. I think there is no risk for his life now," Dr. Butto said. "The best-case scenario is he is as normal as he was. That is a real possibility."

The disease causes a portion of the muscle in the heart to enlarge, blocking blood flow out into the body and causing cardiac arrest, Dr. Butto said. The condition is difficult to detect, and may strike suddenly in young athletes during a workout.

Meanwhile, Christopher seems to be slowly improving, Deputy Lestock said. His eyes were half-open after he first lost consciousness, and all color seemed to drain from his face when he first entered the hospital, the deputy added.

"He looks better today," Deputy Lestock said. "He looks like he's sleeping."

Contact Bridget Tharp at:

btharp@theblade.com

or 419-724-6086.