School Nurse and Bystanders Save Crossing Guard's Life

Kirk Nixon had just set down his orange cone in the crosswalk at Mount Mahogany Elementary when his heart stopped beating. The 71-year-old crossing guard, known for greeting children with hugs and smiles, collapsed right in the middle of the street as students headed home last October.

"The second I set my cone, I stood up, and that's the last thing I remember," Nixon said.

Preschool teacher Kim Crapo was driving by when she saw him fall. She immediately pulled over and began chest compressions with another bystander while Nixon lay purple and blue, with no pulse and no breath.

Within moments, school nurse Jill Anderson rushed out with an AED defibrillator. Her training kicked in instantly despite the adrenaline spike of seeing someone dying in front of her.

"I took the AED and put the pads immediately onto his chest," Anderson said. The shock from the device gave Nixon's heart the restart it desperately needed.

Then came the moment that changed everything. Nixon began attempting to breathe again, a sign that their efforts were working.

Sunny's Take

Nixon's wife, who works as a crossing guard at another nearby intersection, ran toward the commotion and feared the worst. Today, she gets to watch her husband recover and plan his return to the corner where he spent years watching over students.

The rescue shows why AED devices in schools matter so much. Anderson's immediate access to the defibrillator made the difference between life and death in those critical first minutes.

Nixon now focuses on regaining his health and hopes to put his crossing guard vest back on soon. He's already looking forward to greeting students again with his signature warmth.

"There were angels placed, and you were that," Nixon told the women who saved him. "I'm still here. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Anderson's response captures what made this October afternoon so extraordinary. "I'm just so happy he's alive. That is just so amazing."

Nixon is grateful for his second chance at life and "lots of great things" still to come.