How long have you been running on the Cross Country team?
“I joined the team last year.”
What happened during your Cross Country race Monday afternoon?
“It was our last FAA meet of the season, and of my high school career. Right before the last mile of the race, I saw a girl from the Hopkins School collapse on the side of the course.”
What were you feeling the moment you decided to stop?
“I saw the runner lying face down on the ground, and no one else was stopping to see if she was okay. I was pretty scared, because she was completely unconscious, and I couldn’t just leave her there alone.”
How long were you with the runner before help came?
“She woke up after a minute pretty confused, so I sat with her for 15 minutes until her coach came and told me to finish the race.”
Is there a part of you that wishes you could have finished the race?
“I knew that I was on the track to receive a PR [personal record] for the season, and even though it was my last FAA race, I don’t regret stopping at all. I knew the runner needed help, and if I were in her place, I would want someone to stop for me.”
The King Street Chronicle thanks senior Kelly Heinzerling ’16 for her contributions to “Humans of Sacred Heart.”
-Compiled by Katie Nail, Editor-in-Chief