A trip to Walt Disney World became a life-saving mission for an Illinois physician who sprang into action when a 17-year-old girl collapsed at Hollywood Studios.
Dr. Jeffrey Schiappa, a family medicine physician with Premier Suburban Medical Group and a staff member at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, was vacationing at the Florida theme park with his family when he noticed a troubling scene: a group of girls crying and a young woman lying unresponsive on the ground.
“I checked her pulse, and it was irregular,” Dr. Schiappa said, according to a press release from Silver Cross Hospital. “We found an AED—Disney has them everywhere. I had never used one before, but the device guides you through it.”
He delivered two shocks with the automated external defibrillator. After the second shock, the teen began to move, although she remained unconscious. Dr. Schiappa’s son, Joe, and two unidentified bystanders assisted with CPR until paramedics arrived.
The girl had no known medical conditions at the time. Paramedics later informed Dr. Schiappa’s son that she coded two more times on the way to the hospital and again after arriving.
Doctors ultimately diagnosed the teen with Long QT syndrome (LQTS), a potentially fatal heart rhythm disorder. She received treatment and later had a pacemaker implanted. According to Dr. Schiappa, she is now recovering well.
“I heard from her parents. They were very grateful—they sent me a nice note,” he said.
The experience left a lasting impact on the physician, who reflected on the fortunate timing. “If this had happened when she was away at college after graduation, she could have died. I’m so thankful I noticed her.”
Although the incident occurred just an hour into the family’s Disney vacation, they continued to enjoy the rest of their trip. Still, the experience remains vivid in Dr. Schiappa’s mind.
“What we did was successful, thank God.”
