A “real-life hero”

Like all nurses, Veda Padilla was trained to be ready to use her skills and spring into action at any moment to save a life.

During a January academic assembly at Pleasant View Middle School in Pueblo County, she did just that and became a “real-life hero” as a student who witnessed her in action affectionately called her.

Padilla, registered nurse at UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, also works as a school nurse at Pleasant View and Beulah School of Natural Sciences. She was at an early morning assembly on January 17 watching students being rewarded for their accomplishments in the classroom.

It was early into the assembly when Padilla noticed trouble. People toward the front of the audience began to stand up. As a woman screamed, Padilla darted over to see what was happening.

She encountered a man having a medical emergency.

“By that point he was blue, I checked, and he didn’t have a pulse, his lips were the bluest I’ve ever seen,” Padilla said.

Padilla began performing CPR on the man, who was in his late 40s to early 50s. She called out for an AED and the school gym teacher brought it over.

Kendra Bowen, a labor and delivery nurse at Parkview and school nurse at Skyview Middle School and Pueblo West High School in Pueblo, assisted in the response.

“A parent had taken over chest compressions for Veda in the meantime, and I went around to relieve the parent from compressions while Veda placed the AED pads,” Bowen said. “I continued doing compressions. No shock was advised so I continued compressions and after about 10 compressions, the gentleman began to cough.”

An ambulance arrived about 6 minutes after the man’s medical episode began and took him to Parkview for care. He was discharged two days later.

Padilla estimated she was able to begin performing CPR just 13 seconds after the man began experiencing issues.

She was able to speak by phone with the man’s fiancé, who thanked her for saving him. The man also got on the phone to thank Padilla.

Because this happened during an assembly, students at Pleasant View witnessed everything take place. Students were upset and worried. Padilla reassured them the man was OK, and her boss called in extra help such as counselors and a psychologist to help the students process what they saw.

One student paid Padilla a compliment that left a huge impression on her.

“One of them was so cute, I was doing a presentation in one of the rooms and he’s like, ‘look, a real-life hero!’” Padilla said. “And that made me feel good. We explained situations like this can happen and that’s why we do what we do, and I happened to be in the right place at the right time. And so did he. His fiancé agreed that it could’ve been a much different outcome. Time is of the essence in these situations.”

Padilla never had to administer CPR in public before this incident, but she was happy she was trained and prepared to do so.

“I just needed to do what I needed to do to make sure he was OK,” she said. “I was just like, ‘I have the skills to help him. I just need to start.’”

“Everything I’ve learned at Parkview came into play,” she said. “CPR is important, effective CPR is very important. I think this is a plug for CPR. This is what can happen if you do it right, and if you are trained in it then you are able to act when something like that happens. Anything can change in the blink of an eye. It reminds me to be patient and be kind all the time and not sweat the small stuff.”

Padilla and Bowen were recognized by Parkview leadership at a recent staff meeting. The Pueblo School District 70 Board of Education recognized them on January 30, 2024 during a meeting.