A teacher at an elementary school in Michigan saved the life of a student's grandmother after she started slurring her words during a virtual lesson, CNN reports.
On September 22, first-grade teacher Julia Koch realized that her student's grandma was having a stroke and alerted the principal of Edgewood Elementary School.
Koch was in the middle of teaching her virtual learning class when she received a call from Cynthia Phillips, a student's grandma who was experiencing technical difficulties.
Phillips was having issues charging her granddaughter's school tablet. When Koch spoke to Phillips, she knew that there was something was off about her voice.
"It was clear there was something very wrong. Her words were so jumbled, and I couldn't understand what she was trying to say," Koch told CNN. "She didn't sound like herself."
Concerned for Phillips, Koch immediately called Charlie Lovelady, the school's principal. Lovelady was then able to get a staff member to ring 911 and send an ambulance to Phillips' home.
"I noticed her speech was impaired, and I asked her if she was alright, and she was stumbling over her words and it was getting worse by the minute," Lovelady told CNN.
Related - A 28-year-old man suffered a stroke after cracking his neck:Lovelady added, "I knew the symptoms of a stroke because I lost my father from a stroke so I told her to hold on and immediately got her help."
Phillips told CNN from the hospital, "I would have died if it weren't for the teacher being so quick and fast about getting me help."
She added, "It made me so close to the staff and the principal, even the secretary who hurried to get me on the phone with the principal. They showed up at my house to make sure I'm okay. I thank God I didn't die in front of my kids."
For the time being, Phillips is still at the hospital, where she is slowly recovering.
Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System Superintendent Rané Garcia told CNN:
"I am immensely proud of both Ms. Koch and Mr. Lovelady.
"Their quick actions and the energy they have poured into relationships with students and families during this new way of education are making a significant positive difference in the lives of our students and their families".
