The 18-year-old’s release comes on the eve of Stebbins’ senior class commencement, which is 7 p.m. Thursday at Wright State University’s Nutter Center.
Her “journey has been nothing short of miraculous, and she has fought every step of the way with unwavering strength and determination,” the medical center said in the announcement.
She suffered the cardiac arrest at her high school track practice on March 7.
Two Kettering Health trainers at Stebbins that day were credited saving her life. Emily Martz and Alex Brummett performed CPR on Sherwood before she was rushed to Dayton Children’s Hospital, according to the school district.
Sherwood’s mother — Beverly, who works for Miami Twp. — said Brummett began chest compressions and Martz used an Automated External Defibrillator on the teen.
She was taken by CareFlight to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
On a ventilator and an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine that allows the heart and lungs to rest, she soon was transferred to the UC Medical Center.
During her first 10 days in Cincinnati, the teen’s heart didn’t respond to treatment and March 18, it was decided she needed a heart transplant to have hope of surviving.
She underwent a 12-hour transplant surgery performed by Dr. Louis B. Louis, director of cardiac surgery at the medical center.
A GoFundMe account was established to help cover her medical bills. As of Wednesday, it had raised $21,125, according to the site. An April 24 fundraiser at Carroll High School raised $1,500, according to that school’s Facebook page.
The teen — who was captain of the track squad, was on the football team and played girls varsity basketball — spent 10 weeks in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and went through physical therapy, according to the medical center.
A wide receiver and defensive end on the football team, she played on the junior varsity through her junior year and then saw varsity action, mostly on special teams, this past season.
A member of the Stebbins Student Senate, she’s the student body vice president. She’s a member of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, is on the lighting crew for stage productions at the school and is a peer mentor.
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