Wisconsin University Student Flatlined 3 Times, but Was Saved by His Classmates: 'A Gift'

Three college students helped save a fellow student who flatlined three times, according to reports.

In October 2024, Humberto Barraza suffered cardiac arrest and nearly died while in his dorm at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisc., but survived with the help of the life-saving care administered by other students, according to ABC affiliate WISN. Barraza was in a coma for a week and was later diagnosed with Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, a rare heart condition, according to CBS 58.

“Imagine waking up in a strange place, no recollection of anything that happened in the past week," Barraza told NBC affiliate TMJ4 during a celebration organized by the university on Wednesday, March 12 to honor the heroes and his own recovery. “And suddenly, you’re being told you died. You flatlined three times.”

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The theater student had just finished practicing a dance with a friend when he felt a pain in his chest, so he returned to his dorm room to rest, per CBS 58. Barraza then had a seizure.

His friend, Aiden Batiansile, who was in the room, immediately started administering CPR, according to the outlet, while WISN reported that another student used an app to alert first responders, which caused Brooke Trendel to rush upstairs.

Trendel lived in the same building and was not only a student, but a trained EMT with the local fire department, according to CBS 58. She and campus safety officers used a defibrillator to stabilize Barraza before paramedics arrived, according to the outlet. 

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“I was thinking worst-case scenario,” Batiansile told CBS 58. “How am I going to live without my best friend?”

Barraza was rushed to the hospital. After he came out of his coma, Barraza said he lost months of memories leading up to the scary incident. "I had all of them taken away, good or bad. I asked, as people do, when are they coming back? Doctors don't know," Barraza said, per the outlet.

Per WISN, he was in the hospital for a month as he learned to walk and regain his speech. Now that he's on the mend, Barraza plans to return to school in the fall semester, according to CBS 58.

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At the celebration on March 12, Barraza and the classmates who saved his life were celebrated with speeches and prayer.

“I have a son who is in college, so this hits hard knowing that Humberto is about his age,” said Emmitt Smith, a campus safety officer who was on the scene, according to a university press release.  “We treat all of the students here like they’re our kids.”

Barraza was feeling the love. “I’m overwhelmed by the number of people from Concordia who have reached out to me and told me they are praying for me,” he said, per the release. “It’s not lost on me what a gift it is that I’m alive.”

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