JVHS student commended for life-saving actions

October 29, 2009 — Jersey Village High School senior Natalie Brown’s humble persona makes her unwilling to be called a hero. Her actions on Thursday, Oct. 8 would prove otherwise.

During her Early Childhood Professions (ECP) 2-hour block class that day, Brown was monitoring the playground when she noticed one of the pre-school students, Frankie Escalante, having an allergic reaction. When she spotted a rapid development of hives on the 4-year-old’s body, she knew he had been stung by a wasp.

“Part of it was the things I’ve learned here in ECP and the other part was straight gut,” Brown said. “I said to myself, ‘I need to do something about this right now.’ So I picked him up and took him to the nurse.”

As she scooped the boy up she called for a classmate to retrieve his medical records, then made a dash for the clinic. On the way there, Brown observed that his air passages were closing. She spotted some assistant principals along the way and told them to radio school nurse Sally Syer to prepare for her arrival.

“Natalie did not have a cell phone on her, and our location at the back of the school is a new area unknown to the Jersey Village Emergency Services team,” explained Jersey Village ECP teacher Judy Thrall. “She absolutely did the best thing for the child in the emergency situation with her wild run. Had she simply brought him inside to ice down the hives or cool him down from the heat it would have possibly cost the life of the child.”

Syer called for a City of Jersey Village ambulance, and paramedics arrived shortly after Brown arrived at the clinic. They administered a shot of epinephrine, or an “EpiPen,” before rushing Frankie to the hospital. Thrall contacted Frankie’s mother, Jean Escalante, a JVHS teacher, so she could meet her son there.

At this point the adrenaline left Brown’s system and she broke down.

“It wasn’t scary at the time because I wasn’t thinking about fear, but then it hit me,” she said. “After I left the nurse’s office I came back to the ECP room and I cried for a good 20 minutes. I was so terrified for him.”

During sixth period, Thrall received a call from Rob Missall, one of the paramedics who was on the ambulance. Frankie would be fine, but only because of Brown’s response.

“He called me and told me that they did not think they were going to make it to the hospital and said that it was a very close call,” Thrall said. “Natalie’s quick thinking made the difference. A life was saved.”

Brown was unsure of how to react to this news.

“It was surreal. It was like, what? I did that?” she said. “It’s weird to see how something you did can directly affect someone so closely like that.”

In the ensuing weeks since the incident, Brown says Frankie has latched onto her and the two have developed a special bond.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the Jersey Village Emergency Services department came to the school to present Brown with a “Life Saving Award” certificate for her actions.
“They called her a ‘hero’ and we like to think of it that way, too,” Thrall said. “We are proud of her here at Jersey Village and the mother is forever grateful.”

An appreciative Ms. Escalante echoed these sentiments.

“I am very grateful for everyone who assisted in helping my son, especially Natalie

Brown, who is a true hero,” she said.

Brown is also an officer for the JVHS drill team, the Gold Dusters. She plans to attend Lone Star College for two years, then transfer to either the University of Houston or Stephen F. Austin State University to double major in education and biology. She would like to teach high school science, but eventually wants to work with younger children in some capacity.

She offered this advice for those who find themselves in a similar situation: “Don’t second-guess yourself. If you see something wrong, act on your training. Go with your gut and keep a level head. You know what you’re doing.”