Fenton student who collapsed during gym class appears to be OK

A 16-year-old Fenton High School student who had collapsed during a gym class appears to be in good condition, a school official said today.

The girl, whose name is not being disclosed, is "awake and doing very well," said Dorothy Lange, board president of Fenton High School District 100.

"She can't wait to get back to school," said Lange, who was updated on the situation this morning.

The girl was running in gym class on Friday when she collapsed at the Bensenville school.

When teachers reached her, she did not have a pulse and had stopped breathing, officials said. She was taken to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.

By the time paramedics arrived, school officials already had provided basic life support, including using an automated external defibrillator that restored the teen's pulse and breathing.

"Thank God we have one of those," said Lange, adding the district bought the defibrillator a few years ago.

It remains unclear why the Bensenville girl collapsed.

Lange said she did not know if the girl had returned home yet. Hospital officials refused to release any information.

But once the student returns to school, district officials are hoping to hold a recognition ceremony to honor the people who helped save the teen's life, Lange said.