There are times when our abilities are tested and the education we were afforded throughout our academic careers is put to good use. Saturday, March 20, was one of those times.
During the Farmingdale versus East Meadow varsity football game, Nassau County high school football official Phil LoNigro collapsed during the second quarter of the contest.
(Photo courtesy of the Farmingdale School District)
Thanks to the training and quick thinking of the athletic trainers also on the field that day, what could have been an unbelievably tragic event emerged as one of inspiration and hope.
On that seemingly ordinary Saturday morning, LoNigro’s heart stopped beating. Farmingdale athletic trainer and alumni Phil Fandale and East Meadow athletic trainer Dan DeSimone did not allow the situation to get the better of them. Instead, they used the training and resources at their fingertips and saved LoNigro’s life.
DeSimone was first on the scene and began chest compressions right away. Fandale was quick to join DeSimone on the field, employing the use of a defibrillator to provide the lifesaving shock to LoNigro, who lay unconscious and unresponsive on the field.
The duo’s collaborative efforts were integral in this heroic moment.
“It was a team effort,” said Fandale. “Dan was doing chest compressions and I got the AED. From the time he went down until we got him back with the AED was less than a minute and a half. It was a whirlwind.”
What makes this story even more incredible is the fact that LoNigro is also one of Farmingdale’s own, a graduate of the Class of 1980.
“It is moments such as these that I am reminded by the community we continuously build upon in the halls and classrooms of our schools,” Farmingdale Superintendent Paul Defendini said. “The odds of two Farmingdale graduates crossing paths is not so far-fetched, but the chances of one saving the other’s life? Some may call it a coincidence. I am inclined to call it a miracle.”
At this time, Phil LoNigro is still in the hospital undergoing tests, but is said to be doing well.
For more information about the Farmingdale Union Free School District, visit www.farmingdaleschools.org and like the Facebook page @FarmingdaleSchoolDistrict.
