Josh Johnston was playing basketball with some friends one Thursday when his entire world stopped.
Johnston, 21, fell to the court as he suffered a cardiac arrest inside the Colvin Recreation Center on April 3.
The Colvin staff immediately responded.
“I had just talked to Josh before switching areas in the Colvin,” said Kolsten Gensler, Oklahoma State University senior and Colvin employee. “Then, I heard over the radio that a student had collapsed in the gym. I assessed the situation and when I saw he wasn’t breathing, I started CPR.”
Dominic Vaccarello, a fellow Colvin student employee, was on the other side of the building when he heard the radio call for someone to call 911. He rushed to the gym to begin helping Gensler.
Gensler performed eight rounds of CPR before letting Vaccarello take over. When OSU Police Department officer Briana Page arrived at the scene, she took over CPR.
A team effort saved Johnston’s life.
Student employees Gensler, Vacarello and Halle Dugan; Dr. Jason Linsenmeyer, assistant director of operations for the Department of Wellness; and officers Page and Chris Royston provided life-saving aid for nearly 10 minutes until the ambulance arrived.
Johnston was then transported to Stillwater Medical Center in critical condition and later taken to a specialty hospital in Oklahoma City for further medical treatment.
“I remained pretty calm through the incident. I thought back to my training and everything I was taught. It was definitely easy to get worked up in a situation like that, but we all stayed calm during it, which was good,” Vaccarello said. Johnston was in a coma for 24 hours and put on a ventilator before his parents arrived from Houston. His father, Tim Johnston, reported that Josh is doing well and on his way to a full recovery.
Johnston now has an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in case he ever suffers a cardiac event again.
On April 28, a ceremony was held to honor the six people who rushed to perform CPR. OSU Police Chief Mike Beckner presented them with the life-saving award.
“What we did have here is a miracle, and it’s awesome. It shows how the Cowboy family works together and has been successful,” Beckner said.
Dr. Todd Misener, assistant vice president for student affairs and chief wellness officer, praised the Colvin team that prioritizes student safety.
“It was something to watch, because I was there, scared out of my mind like the rest of us. It was something to behold. I can’t be more proud of the people that were there, who acted, and more proud of the team at OSU that’s committed to every student,” Misener said. “I’m truly thankful, Josh, that you’re here, that your family is here — so thankful for you all and that we’re here celebrating a good thing.”
The Johnston family was in attendance to thank all who helped that day.
“I don’t have any prepared remarks,” Tim Johnston said. “Even if I did, I don’t even know what those words could possibly be. We are so thankful to all of you who helped Josh, and I’m really glad you’re getting recognized for that. I’m sure it was a really difficult day for you guys as well. But the good news here is that you guys were successful. Josh was saved, and Josh is going to make a full recovery.”
Wendy Johnston, Josh’s mother, credited the pastor at RUF ministry that Johnston belongs to with standing in the place of family until they could reach the hospital. Pastor Wilson Van Hooser went to the emergency room along with Joshua’s friends.
“It’s always given me peace of mind that he’s had that church and his friends, and that the pastor was actually able to be in the ER with Josh until our daughter Rebecca could get there,” Wendy Johnston said.
Josh Johnston will graduate with his degree in accounting this May and will continue his recovery before attending graduate school in the fall.
“The doctors tell us it’s a miracle that he survived and will make a full recovery,” Tim Johnston said. “He has no heart issue; they have no idea why this happened. It’s a miracle that all these little pieces came together that made it happen.”
Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU has more than 35,000 students across its fivecampus system and more than 26,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and more than 127 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 290,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.
