Glenbard E. students, teacher lauded for saving bookstore manager
Mike Brzezinski should be dead right now.
In fact, if it had not been for two quick-thinking Glenbard East High School students and a health teacher, he probably would be.
On Sept. 1, the school's bookstore manager went about his morning routine and stopped by the main office to pick up a cash drawer, despite feeling a little lightheaded.
Instead of telling someone about it, however, he decided to push through. That decision almost proved fatal when he collapsed on the floor of the store in front of two students, junior Catherine Priebe and senior D.J. Nack.
As Catherine ran to get help - and found it in health teacher Dan "Duck" Hogan - D.J. dialed 9-1-1.
Hogan arrived to see his friend face down not breathing and his face as dark a shade of purple as he had seen. After a struggle to turn the man over, Hogan gave him about 40 to 50 chest compressions and Brzezinski resumed breathing.
"It's amazing," Brzezinski said of Hogan and the students' efforts. "I'm very proud of those kids. I'm very grateful to anybody involved."
School officials will recognize the students and Hogan during today's homecoming pep rally at the Lombard school as well as Monday's Glenbard High School District 87 board meeting.
'You just freak out'Priebe, 16, had arrived at school a little bit early to exchange a Spanish book she did not need. As she waited, she chatted with her friend D.J.Not long before 7 a.m., Brzezinski arrived with the cash drawer and unlocked the door. They watched as he appeared to fall behind the store's front desk.Priebe thought he had tripped on a stool. But when the students looked behind the counter after he took a few moments to get up, they saw Brzezinski gasping for air.Nack considered performing CPR on Brzezinski but said once Hogan arrived, he moved out of the way. Both Nack and Priebe are certified through their school's health classes."I have never seen someone so purple," Nack said."I thought if we got someone quick enough, he would still have a chance," Priebe said. "I was just grateful we were there. If we had not been there, nobody would have seen him."As she ran through the hall toward the main office, Nack, 17, called police and tried not to panic."You just freak out about what's happening," he said. "It was definitely a shock. I didn't know what was going on. But I knew what to do."Before Hogan arrived, Nack said it seemed like every second lasted a minute. "It felt like forever that I was waiting there," he said.Glenbard East certifies its students in CPR during their freshman year. Principal Josh Chambers said he was proud of the students' reactions."It's absolutely what you hope for," he said. "One dialed 9-1-1, the other went and found an adult. It's one of those things where you are just thankful that we do spend time talking about these things. You just love it when it works."Doctors at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove told Chambers things would have been different had the students not acted quickly. "The doctors were very clear that we would not have had that conversation if the two students were not there," he said.'I think we got him'Hogan had hall watch duty the morning of Sept. 1. As he stood outside the gym around 7 a.m., about 75 feet from the bookstore entrance, a student ran up to him."We need your help. A teacher fell and can't get up," Priebe said, struggling to find any other words.Hogan and Priebe sprinted toward the bookstore, and Hogan arrived to see Brzezinski on the floor in what he characterized as a "leapfrog position," with his face bruised from where it landed on the cash drawer.He and the two students flipped him over and Hogan, who has been certified in CPR for more than 30 years, started his efforts.As Hogan worked on one of his friends, a man he often talked baseball with, he said he slowly started to see some response.Brzezinski's eyes fluttered and when he opened his eyes, Hogan said there was an eerie discoloration. It was the first time in Hogan's life he had needed to perform CPR.Assistant Principal Bill Mushrush put it succinctly when he arrived at the bookstore and saw Brzezinski regaining consciousness. "I think we got him."Knowing what to doBrzezinski said he was glad to hear who the three people were who helped save his life. He had gotten to know Priebe through a softball teammate who works at the bookstore.Also, Brzezinski announces wrestling meets and had gotten to know D.J. as well."I am glad to hear it was them. I like them both. That makes me very happy," he said.Brzezinski has lived with a heart murmur his entire life. He said he had a couple of dizzy spells early that week but he had dismissed them.After a faulty heart valve gave out, he said the next thing he remembered was Hogan's voice. He said it was odd that Hogan was not talking to him and not talking baseball, but rather talking about him. Brzezinski said he will return to part-time work Monday.Both students said their main concern was the health of "Mr. B." After things calmed down, Priebe called her mother and was shaken. She took the next day off school. Hero talk does not really interest either of the students. Priebe insists her reactions were instinctive.And Nack said there was nothing special about what he did. But now that he has gone through it, he said he is confident he could come through again."I just did what I would hope anyone else would do," he said. "If you were in that situation, I would hope you would call 9-1-1. But I feel now like if anything happens, I would know what to do. It makes you feel secure."