Jessica Pauline Ogilvie
LA Times
January 16, 2011
The 17-year-old boy who came into Cathy Owens’ nursing office at Murrieta Valley High School in Riverside County was gasping for breath. He had no history of health problems. After quickly examining him, Owens’ 35 years of experience kicked in.
“He was not able to breathe, and there was no heart rate going,” she recalls. “All I could think of was he was suffering from anaphylaxis.”
Often the result of a severe food allergy, anaphylaxis can be lethal if not treated within minutes. Owens grabbed a dose of epinephrine — the standard first line of defense — and injected it into his leg, stabilizing the boy until paramedics arrived.
Had Owens not been there for that boy 10 years ago, she says she is certain he would have died. But across the country, more schools are taking that chance as budget cuts leave them with inadequate funds to hire nurses. As a result, healthcare professionals worry that students’ lives are being put at risk.
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