Teen saves mother’s life after noticing stroke symptoms, credits EMT training

ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) - A teenager is being recognized for his quick actions that resulted in his mother receiving prompt treatment for a massive stroke.

Jackson Mandernach, 18, is a high school senior and has been taking an EMT course. After graduation, he plans to get his paramedic license and will apply for the St. Louis County Fire Academy.

“Last November, I was getting ready for school, and my dad was getting ready for work, and my mom was getting ready for work as well,” he said. “She was in her bathroom, and she had either dropped her toothbrush or her comb, and she had fallen.”

Jackson Mandernach said both he and his father went to check on his mom, who appeared confused and weak. He said his training from school kicked in as he administered several tests on his mom, believing she was suffering a stroke.

“I had her lift her arms out in front of her,” he said. “I had her smile and she only smiled with the right side of her face.”

Noticing the left side deficit, Jackson Mandernach said he told his dad he believed his mom was having a stroke and called 911. Paramedics responded within minutes, he said. Ann Mandernach was diagnosed with a hemorrhagic stroke and admitted to the ICU.

She said she woke up that day with a bad headache but didn’t think anything of it.

“I’ve had migraine headaches in the past and I woke up with it and I thought, ‘I’ll be fine,’” she said. “I never thought it was anything more than a headache, a really bad headache.”

Ann Mandernack said she remembers certain moments in the bathroom but remembers nothing after dropping something on the ground.

“The doctors said it caused a 5-millimeter midline shift to my brain,” she said. “It was so powerful it caused my brain to shift.”

Ann Mandernach spent days in the hospital recovering before being discharged and being in intense physical and occupational therapy. She is unable to drive and depends on her son to get her to appointments and also with small jobs around the house.

“I know that whenever she’s getting a little sassy with me, I know it’s sass with love,” Jackson Mandernach said. “But I’m very glad I can help her out and take her to and from therapy, and help her out with stuff around the house.”

He credits learning about stroke patients in his EMT course for his quick thinking after discovering his mom in the bathroom. His instructor, Chief David Hope, said he executed his training perfectly.

“He stepped up, he did exactly what we train them all to do here,” he said. “He went through his scenarios, basic questions and basic tests and realized his mom needed more help than what he could provide, and he called 911. It’s a life lesson that they can learn that you just never know when you’re going to have to do our job.”

As she continues to recover, Ann Mandernack said she’s grateful for her son’s actions and is excited to see him excel in his future as a firefighter and paramedic.

“I am thankful every day for my son and his quick action that I’m still here,” she said. “Because I’ve been told numerous times that I should not be here based on the stroke I had, I should not be here today.”

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