OCEAN CITY — The family of a Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, man who collapsed off the Boardwalk last summer while out for a run thanked the city’s Fire Department on Thursday at the firehouse.
Last August, Maddux Childs, who was 18 at the time, was running from the Boardwalk on Second Street when he collapsed and lost consciousness from an apparent seizure, city officials said in a news release. Family members rushed to his aide as a neighbor dialed 911.
The Fire Department’s engine and ambulance crews arrived and determined Childs had no pulse nor was breathing. They administered multiple rounds of CPR and used a defibrillator to help him regain a pulse. Childs was taken to a local hospital by AtlantiCare paramedics.
Fire Chief Bernie Walker called the event a “great example of a successful response,” with quick dispatch time and an early recognition of cardiac arrest, noting a case like this is rare for somebody so young and physically fit.
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Childs remained unconscious in the hospital for several days but ultimately made a full recovery with the help of a pacemaker, the city said.
Childs and his parents, Scott and Shannon, were at the firehouse Thursday to meet those who helped save his life, including Capt. Chris Wildman, EMT Winston Roberts, firefighters Eric Masters and Jon Simonson, and AtlantiCare paramedics Taylor Wildermuth and Kristi Senseman. Firefighter Will Tomlinson, who wasn’t there Thursday, also responded to the incident last year.
“It’s good to be coherent and see you guys,” Childs told the first responders, thanking them and God for allowing him to be there, according to the city’s news release. “I already appreciated life, but now I really do.”