On Wednesday, October 23, Head LFA Athletic Trainer Jenni Gorey saved a cross-country runner’s life. This occurred at LFA during the IHSA Sectional competition. Gorey was taking a student back to her tent when she saw a runner from Chicago Hope Academy struggling to breathe. Immediately, she identified that the runner was not getting a sufficient amount of oxygen into her body. A teammate from Hope told Gorey that the runner had asthma; Gorey took the proper precautions to save the athlete. The runner from the guest school was transported to the hospital after her race.

“Jenni Gorey saved the runner’s life,” LFA Athletic Director Darren Madeley wrote. “Gorey tracked her down in the trees while she was obviously in distress and having trouble breathing. 911 was called but before help could arrive, the runner stopped breathing. Gorey performed CPR, and the runner started to breathe again immediately. Gorey sat with her in the ambulance until they were ready to leave and we were able to contact the runner’s mother.”

Gorey’s heroic actions received immediate and profound attention from the Lake Forest Academy community. In addition to receiving high-fives in the athletic training room to commemorations from the Health Department, LFA was proud to reward her three pillar pins – character, scholarship, and responsibility – during Morning Meeting, which was followed by a school-wide standing ovation. Gorey is grateful for this expanse of support, expressing that it has been “needed and appreciated.” Outside of the job, she claims, her favorite part is “interacting with the students outside of the emergency situations.”

“This event shows and proves that I am where I need to be. I love working for a high school. This is the level that I want to be at because it is so unique and I get to provide care on so many different levels,” Gorey shared. Functioning as a way to combine her interest in medicine with the athletics that she grew up participating in, sports medicine proved to be a perfect fit for her, giving her the ability to save lives – just as she did on the cross-country track.

This was not the first time she stepped forward in a critical moment. During Gorey’s freshman year in college, her neighbor was found unconscious and breathless after being hit in the head. After the girl was discovered, Gorey was asked to provide aid, where she called 911 and performed sternal rubs, successfully assisting until help arrived. In her more recent work, Gorey has dealt with athletes experiencing seizures and heat stroke, throwing herself into these situations with dedication. Therefore, when she found the cross-country runner struggling to breathe, she had adequate preparation to save her life.

Gorey’s motivation for being an athletic trainer stems from a sports medicine class she took during her junior year of high school. She then attended Eastern Illinois University with a concentration in athletic training and earned a master’s degree in sports administration. This education, along with her biyearly Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification from the American Red Cross, gave her the adequate tools and knowledge to respond quickly in times of crisis.

Gorey admits that these scenarios go through her head every day, and she is constantly reminding herself of how to react in emergency situations. She is an advocate for evidence-based practice, which is why she promotes getting the BLS Certification every two years, which teaches healthcare professionals and first responders how to respond to cardiac arrest and obstructed airways.