'She Did Not Have A Pulse': 16-Year-Old Dancer Recovers After Going Into Cardiac Arrest During Recital

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 16-year-old dancer from Hugo is recovering after going into cardiac arrest. It happened during a recital over the weekend.

Kaylyn Rosewell is a competitive dancer with Larkin Dance Studio in Maplewood.

She went off stage for a costume change in the middle of a show and passed out.

WCCO's Kate Raddatz shares why her parents say their daughter is still alive.

Kaylyn Rosewell has been dancing since she was a young child.

"She's the captain of her line. She's very committed, very serious, everybody looks up to her," said Molly Larkin Symanietz, Co-Owner Larkin Dance Studio.
It was her big end of the year performance with her Larkin Dance Studio team Sunday.

Kaylyn went off stage during a quick costume change when she told her mom, Becky, who helps out in the dressing room, that she wasn't feeling well.

"I thought maybe she was dehydrated, overheated. And then her eyes started rolling back and she started to wobble a little bit and then she passed out," said Kaylyn's mother, Becky Rosewell.

While the show continued, another mom got help from two parents in the audience who were medically trained in both CPR and in using an AED.

"She did not have a pulse," said Symanietz.

They worked on Kaylyn, keeping her alive until paramedics arrived 20 minutes later.

"We were just trying to keep her awake," said Rosewell. "It was a lot of 'Kaylyn you gotta stay awake, you gotta stay with us, help is on the way.'"

Kaylyn was unconscious as she was taken to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis and given a breathing tube.

Just two days later, the tube is gone, she's awake and smiling.

Her mom says she's alive thanks to the quick thinking of everyone behind the scenes that helped.

"When the cardiologist came in and talked to me they said one of the reasons Kaylyn's still here today is because of the excellent medical attention that she got immediately on scene," said Rosewell.

But will she dance again? Those who know her say without question.

"She wants to dance on a college dance team. Shes very academic too," said Symanietz.

Kaylyn's parents say that their daughter is already being moved out of ICU and will be up and walking today.

They plan on taking CPR training tomorrow.