NEW ROADS — A Pointe Coupee highschooler is stressing the importance of keeping Automated External Defibrillators (AED) updated and registered. She said the technology saved her life. 

Anna Smith, a senior at Pointe Coupee Catholic High, went into cardiac arrest during gym class when she was 13.

"It was the first week of school. I arrived at school and had P.E. in the first hour. I made it to one of the corners and collapsed," Smith said.

Her mother, Amanda Smith, rushed to the school after hearing about her daughter's collapse.

"I thought I would arrive to find her just passed out, but she was on the gym floor, purple and unresponsive," Amanda said. "The team that worked on her and used the AED. It is the reason she is alive today."

Amanda said doctors haven't determined what caused her cardiac arrest, but she is thankful that the school got the AED just two weeks before her daughter's collapse.

Since then, Anna has become a spokesperson for raising awareness about AEDs and CPR. She serves as an ambassador for the American Heart Association and helps her classmates become CPR certified.

"After my incident, my mom and I attended a class taught by one of the officers who saved me. We felt it was important for everyone to know this life-saving information, especially since many of my classmates experienced a similar situation," Anna said.

Anna told WBRZ that humor has helped her and her family cope with the incident and for a senior quote she plans to have "You only get to live once... twice if you're me." 

Emergency medical services in East Baton Rouge Parish urges facilities throughout the parish to keep their AEDs updated and registered on the registry website. EMS emphasizes that not only is this state law, but it could also save a life.

"The registry allows the 911 center to know the location of the AED. For example, if someone is in a public place and calls 911 reporting a patient in cardiac arrest, the 911 operator can direct them to the nearest AED," Brad Harris from EMS said.

"It's essential to know where an AED is located in your workplace or any public place you visit because you never know when you might need one," he added.

Anna plans to present at a youth heart screening with Gray Arm's Foundation at the Scott Civic Center in New Roads on Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm.