Canton teen attends ceremony recognizing those who saved his life
Obosa Obesuyi (third from left) is pictured with the individuals who helped save his life and his mom (far right).
Just three months after suffering a harrowing, heart-stopping cardiac arrest while playing pick-up basketball at Canton’s Summit on the Park, Canton teenager Obosa Obesuyi, walking with the aid of a cane, made a joyful and dramatic appearance at Tuesday’s Canton Township Board of Trustees meeting that started with the recognition of the individuals who helped save his life.
On April 6, Obesuyi collapsed on one of the Summit’s courts, setting off a chain of heroic life-saving actions by the facility’s employees and first-responders.
After a three-month hospitalization that included a long stretch when Obesuyi required a life-sustaining ventilator, the senior-to-be at Canton High School was released from the hospital on July 3 — fittingly, one day before Independence Day.
“O.B.’s electrocardiologist came in the week before July 3 and said, ‘Hey, O.B., I have never seen this before’,” said Icohan Obesuyi, Obosa’s mom, regarding her son’s remarkable recovery. “He told my son, ‘You died! You died!‘ He said, ‘You are eating now, you are walking around. People who have been in your situation don’t recover like this.’
‘It’s a miracle!’
“I said, ‘Say it — it’s a miracle! Just say the word. One of the doctors who intubated him is a believer. One time he came in to check on O.B. and he told me, ‘He’s going to come out of this. I know what God can do.’ I told the doctor, ‘I don’t worry because I believe.’
“Obosa means ‘The hand of God’. And the hand of God touched my son and all the doctors who helped him recover.”
A resolution was read by Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak that saluted the seven Summit employees who provided aid to Obesuyi before first-responders arrived: Amber Linebarger, Audrey Roth, Evan Montesi, Ben Van Horn, Gus Cardoso, Noah Solomon and Tandeep Singh.
To view a brief video of the uplifting moment Obesuyi arrived at the meeting, click here.
Township Fire Chief Christopher Stoecklein emphasized during a brief speech following the reading of the resolution how “every minute counts” during an emergency like the one that unfolded on April 6.
Once the seriousness of Obesuyi’s health crisis was discovered by Summit employees, Roth secured one of the facility’s AED (automated external defibrillator) and assisted with CPR.
Calm teamwork pays off
Montesi, an experienced lifeguard stationed at the Summit’s pool, provided CPR to Obesuyi and managed the use of the AED with the aid of Van Horn, who assisted in setting up the AED and helped provide oxygen to Obesuyi.
Cardoso helped calm the crowd while guiding emergency personnel to where Obesuyi collapsed. Solomon and Singh both helped calm the crowd — and Singh helped fire department personnel transport Obesuyi to the ambulance.
Linebarger, who was working at the Summit’s front desk during the crisis, was tasked with making the difficult call to notify Obesuyi’s family members.
“These staff members were able to remain calm and act immediately during a life-threatening situation,” the resolution states.
Roth said the staff’s monthly training for situations like the one that unfolded on April 6 was vital in terms of reaching the positive outcome.
“I ran through all the life-saving steps we’ve learned in my head once I reached (Obesuyi),” Roth said. “I believe it was due to our thorough training that I was able to remain calm.”
Hard not to smile
Montesi was visibly overjoyed whenever he looked over at the steadily-improving Obesuyi during a post-resolution-reading gathering in the lobby just outside the board of trustees meeting room.
“This still feels so surreal, like a dream,” said Montesi. “Once (Obesuyi) was placed in the ambulance and taken to the hospital, we had no idea whether he’d live or die. Later that night I did some research and learned that ultimate outcomes for people who suffer a cardiac arrest like he did aren’t good.
“So, to see him walk into the room like he did today, smiling and talking … well, it’s very gratifying for all of us to know we helped.”
Singh concurred with Montesi’s emotions.
“When (O.B.) first walked into the room tonight, I couldn’t believe my eyes … it was like, he’s really here,” said Singh. “I was a member of the team that took him to the ambulance, so from that moment to see him walking today, it feels so good.”
Canton Leisure Services Director Greg Hohenberger said all Summit staff members are required to attend twice-monthly life-saving training sessions.
“If they miss one of their trainings, they are taken off the work schedule until they make it up,” Hohenberger said. “We take this very seriously, which is one of the reasons we had a positive outcome.”
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
