Call it luck. Call it fate. However you choose to view it, New Richmond High School Social Studies Teacher and Varsity Basketball Coach, Brian McMonigle, is a hero.
During a not-so-lazy Sunday, May 2, Mr. McMonigle sprinted to the aid of a soccer coach who collapsed shortly before the start of a youth soccer game at Clear Creek Park in Anderson Township.
Mr. McMonigle and his wife, Tracy, were at the game to watch their oldest son, Blake, play. It was their second round of sports action that day which began with a youth basketball tournament. Because the soccer match was without an official, Mr. McMonigle volunteered to officiate.
Moments before Mr. McMonigle took the field to get the game started, he overheard a parent saying that a coach almost fell. At the time, he said, those who saw the incident thought the coach (who we are not naming at this time) might have tripped.
When that same coach collapsed on the sidelines before the start of the game, Mr. McMonigle suspected a heart attack. He sprinted about 50 yards. Kneeling down at the coach’s side, he rolled him over and checked for a pulse. Finding none, and seeing that the coach’s body was laboring to breathe, he began CPR.
“There were all kinds of other people around, all suggesting things, which made it very frantic,” Mr. McMonigle recalled. “There was another parent right across from me, Kim Porter, whose son is on the team with Blake. She was the voice I focused on. She said ‘you’re doing great. You’re doing the right thing. Keep going.’”
At one point when he was administering CPR, Mr. McMonigle said that he feared the coach wasn’t going to make it.
“I kept going and kept going and he jerked back. I thought, he’s still alive, he’s still alive.
I have to keep focused on what I need to do until the paramedics arrive.
“People were talking all around me, a woman was on the phone with his wife. You know, I’m kind of hearing this in the background going on.”
At one point, Mr. McMonigle asked if there was an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) nearby. None could be found. Ironically, Mr. McMonigle said, the SCSA (Southeast Cincinnati Soccer Association) had discussed getting an AED for Clear Creek.
Mr. McMonigle said his wife was one of several people to call 9-1-1. Emergency responders made it to the soccer fields quickly, he said, but getting back to the field was a challenge.
It seemed like I heard their siren for two minutes after they arrived in the park. They had difficulty getting through the maze of cars and people, he said. His wife and others worked to direct traffic in an effort to clear a path for the emergency vehicle.
When the emergency crew arrived, they asked Mr. McMonigle to continue doing CPR while they worked to set up their equipment.
They cut off his shirt and hooked him up and continued life saving techniques before bringing him back, Mr. McMonigle said.
“They said, ‘you saved him,’” Mr. McMonigle said.
The last couple of days have been emotional for Mr. McMonigle.
“It’s weird to have someone say you saved his life. It’s a great feeling, but at the same time, it's a bit overwhelming.
As a coach, Mr. McMonigle has been trained for decades on CPR. There’s been a couple of incidents over the years where people collapsed and he responded, but those individuals still had a pulse. No CPR was required. These situations, however, likely prepared Mr. McMonigle for his response on May 2.
In the days since the incident, the collapsed coach and his family members have reached out to Mr. McMonigle to express their appreciation. The coach is in good condition and plans to go to his team’s practice on Friday.
Throughout the experience, Mr. McMonigle said he appreciates his wife and others who placed the 9-1-1 call and who helped get emergency responders back to the field. Mrs. Porter and her voice of calm and support was a tremendous help. Coach Holleran worked hard to find an AED and was on the phone with first responders.
“There was a lot of help. It truly was amazing to see so many people caring for one person. The paramedics were amazing when they got there. It was the right recipe to save someone’s life,” he said.
Mr. McMonigle also expressed his gratitude to Judy Middeler who first taught him CPR. He encouraged others to take the time to get trained. Someone’s life could depend on it.