JCoSS student who suffered cardiac arrest is recovering

A teenager who had a cardiac arrest at school on Friday before being placed into a medically-induced coma over the weekend is now recovering, his school has said.

A Year 11 boy collapsed at JCoSS late last week but regained consciousness on Sunday and is now able to talk to his parents, said headteacher Patrick Moriarty, in a letter to concerned families.

“His condition remains serious and further tests and procedures will be carried out in the days ahead,” he wrote. “But I know you will share my relief and joy that there is such encouraging news.”

Moriarty praised the “swift actions of staff and emergency services to keep him alive” before he could be transferred to hospital, where he is now recovering, with support from Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg from New North London Synagogue.

“He is receiving expert care, and the family are buoyed up by knowing that the whole community at JCoSS and beyond are holding them and he’s in their thoughts and prayers,” added Moriarty, who also praised the “good sense and calm” of students during the emergency on Friday.

Concerned students and parents have been told that the school is holding tehillim services (recitation of Psalms) in the Informal Jewish Education office (hamifgash) each lunchtime “until the student is out of Intensive Therapy”.

Alongside this, counselling support is being offered, while the Jewish Education team is running Tikun Olam projects to raise money for the Year 11 boy’s hospital as a “concrete and constructive ways to respond to these events”.