![\"Graduate](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/CSF-L-NURSE-0125-2.jpg\")
Graduate student Sophia Santana in the Nursing Simulation Center at Cal State Fullerton (Courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)<\/p>\nSophia Santana was elated after passing the difficult licensing examination to become a registered nurse.<\/p>\n
And to celebrate Santana\u2019s achievement, a friend purchased tickets for the annual Astroworld Festival at NRG Park in Houston, Texas.<\/p>\n
The popular music extravaganza, which began in 2018, was founded and hosted by rapper Travis Scott and, over the years, featured star performers such as Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Wayne and Drake.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was to do something beautiful and fun and memorable for me,\u201d Santana said.<\/p>\n
As it turned out, the Nov. 5, 2021, concert was indeed memorable for Santana and thousands of others, but not in a way anyone could have possibly envisioned.<\/p>\n
By the end of the day, eight people were dead\u00a0 \u2014\u00a0 two more died in the hospital in the days following \u2014 dozens were transported to the hospital and thousands sustained injuries.<\/p>\n
The 10 deaths were caused by compression asphyxiation, the result of massive crowd crush of concert goers breaking through barriers and scaling walls attempting to get a spot near the stage. The youngest victim was a 9-year-old boy.<\/p>\n
Santana was so impacted by the experience that she enrolled in the master\u2019s degree program in nursing at CSUF in order to qualify for a wider range of career options in the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to continue to help in more different ways than just one,\u201d said Santana. who has completed the master\u2019s program and will walk with her graduating class after the spring 2026 semester. \u201cCal State Fullerton has the best program in California for nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putting training into action<\/p>\n
There were numerous lawsuits after the incident. A grand jury failed to indict the organizers. There were questions raised about security, emergency planning and the safety of the venue design as some of the contributing factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was one of the only times in my life that I ever felt panic,\u201d Santana said. \u201cThere was one person who was squished on one side of my ribs, another person on the other side, one in the front and one in the back.\u00a0 I remember going, \u2018I can\u2019t breathe.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Santana, who was 22 at the time, was knocked to the ground but managed to get back to her feet when adrenaline kicked in, and she shifted into rescue mode, looking for anyone who could be helped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI genuinely don\u2019t know what it is in me, but I just knew I had to go and do something that mattered,\u201d Santana said.<\/p>\n
Graduate student Sophia Santana in the Nursing Simulation Center at Cal State Fullerton (Courtesy of Cal State Fullerton)<\/p>\n
She noticed a young man on the ground being tended to by another concertgoer.<\/p>\n
The man on the ground was Arturo Sanchez, who had made the three-plus-hour drive from his home in Dallas with friends to Houston for the festival.<\/p>\n
Amid the chaos, Sanchez, who was 23 at the time, ended up on the bottom of a pile of people and was barely breathing.<\/p>\n
Looking back on the moments, he resigned himself to his fate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn those moments \u2026\u00a0 I was going to die,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cThis is where my story ends. I can\u2019t do anything because I literally couldn\u2019t move.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Santana was still trembling. Her hands were shaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still not OK,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then that\u2019s when I saw Arturo on the floor. And there was this guy at his head, and I had thought that that was one of his friends trying to wake him up.\u00a0 I had thought he had passed out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drawing on her training, Santana performed lifesaving measures, including elevating legs to improve blood flow to the heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I just, I remember thinking like, I really hope this works,\u201d Santana said. \u201cI really, really hope it works for this guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was later determined that he went into cardiac arrest.<\/p>\n
Sanchez was taken by medics to the hospital, but Santana kept his phone, both to prevent theft and communicate with his friends and family.<\/p>\n
Later on, she learned Sanchez was hospitalized and had survived, thanks in large part to intervention.<\/p>\n
Santana and Sanchez eventually met in person and they maintain a close friendship.<\/p>\n
They stay connected through social media, and Santana has even made a few trips to Houston to meet up with Sanchez.<\/p>\n
A lasting impact<\/p>\n
The Astroworld tragedy attracted massive media attention at the national level, and in June 2025, the disaster was the subject of a Netflix documentary series titled \u201cTrainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The documentary featured first-person accounts from Sanchez and Santana, along with other survivors, and interviews with family members of deceased victims.<\/p>\n
More than four years later, Sanchez still battles the emotional fallout.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to go see a neurologist because of my concussion,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cI had to see a cardiologist because of my heart attack. I needed medication because, obviously, I was suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reflecting on the tragedy, Sanchez is determined to live fully and help others understand the importance of safety and compassion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely say that I value life,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter that festival, I started doing stuff for me. \u2026 I started traveling more, seeing the world, you know, experiencing new things.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the immediate aftermath, upon learning Santana saved his life, Sanchez said he was still so shaken that he couldn\u2019t yet grasp the magnitude of her actions.<\/p>\n
As time goes on, he gets it.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, all my friends love her,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cMy family loves her. Because, you know, without her, I wouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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