Thursday morning, Oct. 7, paramedics and campus police responded to a 54-year-old student complaing of heart problems as students and staff watched anxiously at the entrance to SF State’s Student Health Center.

According to physician and Chief of Staff Teresa Rebeiro, the student, who remains unidentified, knocked on the door of the Student Health Center (SHC) approxiamtely 15 minutes before the usual 8:30 a.m. opening time. Rebeiro said the student quickly got the attention of early morning staff who then asked Holliday to lie down on one of the wooden benches in front of the building.

Within minutes, a SHC staffer phoned campus police and Sgt. Jennifer Schwartz said campus police called the paramedics. Officers then went to SHC to assist the paramedics and escort a fire truck and ambulance who parked near Burk Hall.

The student was conscious during the incident and explained what happened as paramedics assessed his condition.

“I got into class this morning and my heart started beating really hard,” he said.

Paramedics set up a heart monitor and then explained to the student what they saw.

Holliday told paramedics that last week, he’d had another heart incident that he said left him clinically dead.

“Your heart is beating just a little too fast,” said one unidentified paramedic. “There’s a possibility we may have to shock you.”

The paramedics, however, did not use a defibrillator while the student lay in front of the SHC, but did administer an I.V., placed an oxygen mask over Holliday’s nose and mouth and gave Holliday two injections.

“You gonna poke me again?” said the student after paramedics gave him the first injection.

“We gotta poke you one more time,” said a paramedic.

This time around, the student didn’t feel his condition was as serious as last weeks incident.

“I feel better now,” said Holliday before he paramedics and police placed him on a gurney and rolled him to the ambulance. “I think I’ll make it”

Rebeiro agreed that the student should be fine.

“We were able to stabilize him here,” said Rebeiro. “From what I heard and saw, yeah, he should be OK.”