Middle school athlete Sabine Barrett was playing soccer on Jan. 19, when she suddenly collapsed on the soccer field. Her father was with her at the time and called LoneStar Soccer Club coach Nick Snyder for help. Coach Snyder lept into action and administered CPR while her father called 911.

Within minutes, Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS), the Austin Fire Department (AFD) and the Austin Police Department (APD) were on the scene, and took over resuscitative efforts. Eighteen minutes into the resuscitation, Sabine’s heartbeat returned and Travis County STARFlight was dispatched to the scene. Sabine was intubated and stabilized for transport before being airlifted to Dell Children’s Medical Center for treatment.

Sabine suffered a cardiac arrest due to a rare congenital heart disease called coronary artery anomaly – this congenital heart defect is the second leading cause of death in young athletes. Sabine underwent open heart surgery at Dell Children’s on Jan. 20, Dr. Carlos M. Mery, pediatric congenital heart surgeon at Dell Children’s and the Associate Chief of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiothoracic Surgery for the Texas Center for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease and his cardiac care team performed the life-saving surgery.

This story is a perfect example of how seamlessly Austin and Travis County’s public safety agencies and Dell Children’s Medical Center work together every day to provide the very best care for our community.

Sabine is now out of the hospital and well on her way to making a full recovery. On Wednesday morning, she meet with the entire team of first responders, doctors, nurses and hospital staff, who came together to save her life. Coach Snyder, ATCEMS Assistant Chief Michael Wright, Dr. Mery, and Sabine’s father Dan Barrett, shared Sabine’s story to the media to give a full picture of all the efforts that went into saving her life.

You can read more about the reunion and see photos from the event through CBS Austin HERE.

February is National Heart Month! Sabine’s story highlights the importance of early bystander CPR. ATCEMS and Dell Children’s Medical Center are committed to ensuring the community is prepared for such events and feels strongly about the importance of learning CPR. If performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. ATCEMS offers CPR and First Aid classes to the public, more information is available at AustinTexas.gov/page/regional-training-center-cpr-training