Jan . 23 , 2023 , started like any other day for Kennedy Grice , a Meridian native and student at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa . A Monday morning , she and some friends got up early and headed to the Tuscaloosa RiverWalk , a picturesque paved trail along the southern bank of the Black Warrior River near the city ’ s downtown .
Laughing and talking , the young women were having a pleasant morning as they made their way around the trail .
Grice , a 2021 West Lauderdale High School graduate , was hoping to get in two miles for a good start to the day . Classes had resumed from the holiday break less than two weeks before , and she had things to do . But she came up short in her distance goal and was pondering whether to finish the two miles or take the loss .
“ I was trying to close out two miles . I had . 02 left and they said just go run around that little wooded area by the parking lot ,” Grice recalled . “ Just go run around until you hit it , and I was like okay .”
It is the last thing she would remember of that morning .
Grice decided to jog those last yards , which normally would have taken a minute or two . Her friends had started walking to the car , when one of them noticed Grice stop , then suddenly go down .
“ She said I stopped , and I
Story by Glenda Sanders
In this photo from winter 2023 , Kennedy Grice gives a thumbs up sign while in the hospital being treated for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest while out walking with friends . Photo submitted by Kennedy Grice . kind of ran my hands through my hair , and then I just kind of squatted , then kind of melted to the ground ,” Grice said .
At first her friends thought she was being funny . But when she didn ’ t pop back up , one of the young women ran to check on her .
Grice , 20 at the time , had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest , meaning her heart had stopped beating .
“ I don ’ t remember it at all ,” she said . “ I do remember saying I wanted to get two miles , and them telling me to do that .”
Young and healthy , Grice is now a junior at the University of Alabama , majoring in social work . A member of the Honors College , she is actively involved in the Baptist Campus Ministries and was recently elected president of Alpha Delta Chi , the Christian sorority on campus . She serves as secretary of the Student Advocates for Foster Families organization and is a member of the Undergraduate Social Work Organization .
Growing up , she had spent years as a dance student , going to weekly practices from a young age . While not as physically active in college , she is still busy , so a cardiac arrest was completely unexpected .
“ I did dance for 16 years and no signs of it ,” she said . “ It ’ s kind of crazy that it just kind of showed up .”
Calls to 911 were quickly made that January day , while another University of Alabama student stopped to help , along with a retired emergency medical technician who was out walking with her daughter . They were able to assist with CPR until Tuscaloosa Fire Rescue ’ s firefighters and paramedics arrived and took over , according to the story Grice has been told .
She said the medical personnel who treated her , along with the equipment they used , made a great difference in not only her surviving her cardiac arrest but also her recovery with no neurological problems .
“ I was without oxygen for 34 minutes according to everyone ’ s account of what happened ,” Grice said . “ They had to shock me four times . They had to shock me once to get my heart back beating and three more times to get it on the right rhythm .”
The paramedics used a LU- CAS device , which allows first responders to perform automated , uninterrupted and consistent CPR compressions while they continued to work on Grice . They were able to shock her heart using an automated external defibrillator to get it beating again and then a few more times to get it beating back on rhythm .
The paramedics also used a relatively new device , called the EleGARD patient positioning system , which slowly elevates a patient ’ s head and upper torso during CPR . This helps www . meridianstar . com
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