Elizabeth Gabriel is an enterprise health reporter for WFYI and Side Effects Public Media — a regional collaboration among Midwest public radio stations. As a former education reporter at the station, Gabriel is passionate about including youth voices. In 2021, she won a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in sound, after shadowing volunteers in Eugene, Oregon’s annual point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness. That same year, she was a recipient of a national fellowship from the Education Writers Association.
Articles
Zac Mago, a healthy teen, died from cardiac arrest despite a prior clear heart screening. Some medical professionals recommend kids get screened annually after detecting a potential heart abnormality. But his mother said Zac’s cardiologist didn’t tell them that.
Lauren Abbott's son Lucas had sudden cardiac arrests due to a rare arrhythmia. Rapid CPR and automated external defibrillator use is crucial for the 20,000 affected kids yearly.
Indiana schools vary when it comes to access to external defibrillators, impacting response to cardiac arrests. Advocates are pushing for comprehensive emergency plans.
Two people who suffered cardiac arrests at schools in Lafayette, Indiana survived due to automated external defibrillators. But many Indiana schools lack AEDs and plans.
CPR and automated external defibrillators dramatically increase the survival rates of students who go into cardiac arrest, but many first responders and schools don’t have them.