Four years ago, Joe Quigley got the call that his 6-year-old daughter, Olivia, had suddenly collapsed at East Boston Central Catholic School after doing gym class warm-ups, running around playing ball with her first-grade classmates.
"You dread getting that phone call from the school. I remember every word," said Quigley, a 52-year-old stay-at-home father by day and a bartender by night. "I knew it wasn't just that she fell over and hurt her leg. It was something serious."
When Quigley arrived at the school, Olivia was lying on the floor surrounded by EMTs. He said the little girl, who had never been ill beyond the "usual coughs and colds," had suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
"At that point, she wasn't even stable enough to be moved," he said. "Initially, we were going to Children's Hospital, but they said this child wouldn't make it that far."
Olivia, who is now 10, survived because her school had a medical emergency response plan, and two teachers had rushed to her side to administer CPR.
The little girl has a healthy heart, but its electrical system is defective. She has catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia or CPVT, which can trigger cardiac arrest.
"It can happen again at any time," said Quigley, who lives with his wife Cathy, Olivia, and a 16-year-old son Alex in Winthrop, Mass. "All you can do is be prepared for it."