WVU Nursing student aids in life-saving assistance for friend on campus

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - A WVU School of Nursing student recently provided life-saving assistance for his friend who unexpectedly collapsed while on campus.

Mason Solliday, a sophomore in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, was eating lunch in the food court at the Mountainlair when his friend Grant stepped outside to take a phone call.

"Around 10 minutes later, I was told someone had collapsed outside and slid down a small hill through the same exit my friend had just taken," said Solliday, of Green Bank in Pocahontas County. "I decided to go see if I could help, not knowing exactly what that would entail."

He saw a group of people carrying a person over the top of the hill and laying him down on the sidewalk. Solliday quickly recognized the person as Grant.

"I knelt by his side and yelled his name, rubbed his sternum and checked for a pulse. He was completely unresponsive and lacked a pulse, so I started doing chest compressions," Solliday said. "I performed chest compressions until the first ambulance arrived and one of the first responders took over for me. At this point, I texted everyone I knew to be praying for him."

The first responder asked him to take over chest compressions again while they focused on getting medications ready. Solliday performed more compressions and after his arms became tired, another bystander took over until additional first responders arrived.

"I have taken CPR classes prior to coming to college, but the most recent class I took was the School of Nursing's required class this past fall," Solliday said. "When put into this situation, I was surprised by how quick my prior training kept me calm and allowed me to intervene. Had it not been for the classes I have taken, I would have been paralyzed by fear and concern."

He said he is especially grateful for the life-saving training he was able to administer, but he gives credit to God for the intervention.

"It means the absolute world to me that he is alive and that when he fully recovers, he'll be back hanging out with us again. I would like to add that I am so grateful to the EMS personnel who saved him, and for the WVU School of Nursing for properly teaching me how to stay calm and perform CPR," Solliday said. "Most of all I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for providing me with peace and a clear head in the moment and for timing everything the way He did. I firmly believe that my friend is still alive and is recovering as rapidly as he is because of the Lord's mercy and the prayer that surrounded him from people across the campus, state, and country."

Photo Caption: Mason Solliday (far left) stands with his friend Grant (second from left) and their teammates following a football game with YoungLife, a campus ministry organization.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-581-1772; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu