Long Island teen reunites with CPR-trained coaches who saved his life during basketball tryouts
LOCUST VALLEY, Long Island (WABC) -- There was an emotional reunion on Wednesday for a teenager who went into cardiac arrest during a high school basketball tryout on Long Island last week.
When Francesco Allocca collapsed on Nov. 17, coaches and staff at Locust Valley High School knew exactly what to do.
"I'm extremely thankful and grateful that you guys were there and acted so quickly, and without you guys, I wouldn't be here," Allocca said.
On the day before Thanksgiving, the high school senior and his mom had words of gratitude for the heroes who saved his life.
"When I heard cardiac arrest, I thought he didn't make it," his mother Pia Allocca said. "I went to the ER at Glen Cove, I saw him, it was like a miracle."
It was a miracle, she says, thanks to Allocca's basketball coaches and other school staff, who were honored on Wednesday for their quick thinking.
Moments before local EMS arrived, coaches revived Allocca with CPR and an AED after he suffered cardiac arrest.
"Thank God for the training, honestly, without the training, I don't know if this outcome is the same," said Coach Andrew Siegel.
The teen was rushed to Glen Cove Hospital and later transferred to Cohen Children's Medical Center for treatment.
Doctors say by the time Allocca arrived at the hospital, he already had his pulse back.
In a situation where seconds matter, school leaders are working to ensure that life-saving tools are more accessible.
"We continue consulting to add more AEDs to our elementary school, we are also in the process of upgrading our walkie talkies to ensure instant communication," said Locust Valley Central School District Superintendent Dr. Kristen Turnow.
Allocca said he is already looking forward to getting back on the court.
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