Travis Cuch stepped in to save the day after a student at Salt River Schools experienced a life-threatening medical emergency. “All my training took over.”

It was a regular Tuesday morning in August for Salt River Schools Custodial Supervisor Travis Cuch. He got in his truck at home, drove to work at the Accelerated Learning Academy and was ready for the workday. A new school year had just started, and with that came a new crop of students with their own personalities, stories and interests.

On that morning, Cuch was making his school building rounds near the art classroom. He was cleaning the campus and tidying up one of the nearby classrooms, something he’s been doing for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community for nearly a decade.

“I was just doing my daily thing, dusting cobwebs, checking areas and windowsills. I was minding my business, listening to my music,” Cuch recalled.

Then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed.

“All of a sudden, I heard on my radio system, ‘Nurse. Security. Nurse. Security.’ That perked my ears up a bit,” he said. “Then I saw a kid run out [of the classroom]. I told myself, ‘I know she’s probably running to something.’ Then I saw a second student run out. I knew the student, so I yelled out to her, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’”

The second student said their classmate was having a seizure. Cuch, with no hesitation, tossed his duster to the side and ran over to help. He approached the male student, who was suffering a seizure and foaming from the mouth.

When a person experiences a seizure, sometimes they might begin foaming at the mouth. This is due to electrical activity in the brain stimulating the salivary glands, which produces more spit than usual, according to medical experts. The excess saliva mixes with the air as the body convulses and the person begins breathing rapidly.

Cuch kneeled next to the student to help.

“I went down to my knees and grabbed him by the head,” he said. “I grabbed his head so he wouldn’t hit it on anything. Then, I saw his eyes and rolled him off to the side because he was foaming at the mouth a little bit.”

He continued, “I was checking his eyes, trying to make sure he’s getting all that stuff out of his system. He was biting his tongue a bit too; there was blood. Maybe 10 seconds later, the nurse came in and I explained to her what happened to him.”

Once the nurse arrived, Cuch remained nearby to assist.

“Then the student, he jumped up like he was trying to come out of it,” Cuch said. “But he wasn’t coherent or able to clearly listen to us. So, I jumped back down and held his head and made sure he didn’t bang his head on anything or fall back down.”

Moments later, campus security arrived to help.

Thankfully, the student is okay and is receiving treatment.

When a person experiences a seizure, it’s important for those nearby to remain calm, protect the person’s head, clear the area and turn them on their side. These crucial and lifesaving steps were correctly followed by Cuch thanks to some hometown training he’s had for quite some time now.

“I’ve been certified in CPR since I was a teenager, thanks to the Salt River Explorers. I’ve always been that person at the right time to help somebody out when they need it. Like for car crashes or middle-of-nowhere accidents, I was somehow always there to help,” he said.

The Salt River Explorers, established in 1995, was the first police Explorer post in Indian Country law enforcement. The program trains youth ages 14 to 21 by providing safety and security programs and classes to help them grow their careers. In some cases, the Salt River Explorers go on ride-along trips with police to experience a day in the life of a police officer, in addition to helping with Community events such as the Thanksgiving Dinner, Safety Day, Earth Day and more.

“I just remembered my training,” said Cuch. “It was nothing new to me. It was like, [during that moment] all my training just took over.”

For Cuch, helping others is simply part of his motto he tries to live his life by every day. “I was just doing my job, making sure the staff and kids are safe and taken care of. Everybody needs help. So, help out when you can; it doesn’t hurt.”