Akron Children’s school-based health services employees Patty Kidwell, medical assistant, and Beth Wyslutsky, district RN/clinical coordinator, are joined by Tallmadge Elementary School assistant principal David Ravida and second grade student Trey Lewis who were all instrumental in saving a student during a severe allergic reaction. They were all honored by the school district for the heroic act.
In a display of quick thinking and professional expertise, Akron Children’s school-based health services staff members, Patty Kidwell, MA, and Beth Wyslutsky, RN, were recently honored for their lifesaving actions during a student’s severe allergic reaction at Tallmadge Elementary School.
The incident occurred in the school cafeteria when a second grader unknowingly consumed a granola bar containing tree nuts, triggering a severe allergic reaction. One of the student’s classmates, Trey Lewis, noticed his distress and promptly alerted assistant principal David Ravida who swiftly brought him to the school clinic.
Upon arrival at the clinic, the student was exhibiting severe symptoms including vomiting, hives and a scratchy throat. Despite the chaos, Patty and Beth remained calm and immediately checked the Medical Administration Record to confirm the child’s known allergy to tree nuts.
“We didn’t initially know he had an allergy to cashews, but the student managed to communicate this to us in between bouts of vomiting,” recalled Patty. “We quickly verified this in our records and saw that he had an allergy action plan and an EpiPen on file.”
“We administered the student’s personal EpiPen, and thankfully one injection was sufficient to stabilize his condition,” said Beth.
An ambulance arrived within 5 minutes and transported the child to the hospital.
Reflecting on the event, both women expressed a sense of duty rather than heroism.
“It was very nice to be recognized, but at the end of the day, I was just doing my job,” said Patty. “I am very thankful that everything and everyone were where they were supposed to be, allowing us to do what was needed.”
Beth echoed Patty’s sentiments, highlighting the teamwork involved.
“This event showcases how the Tallmadge staff, administration and my school health team work together to ensure the health and safety of our students,” said Beth. “I’m especially proud of Trey whose quick thinking in alerting the assistant principal made all the difference.”
The recognition for their actions was a moment of pride, but the true reward came in knowing the student was safe and recovering.
“He is doing great,” said Patty. “I checked in the next day, and his mother said he was resting and very grateful for all we did.”
