I was watching the NFL game between Buffalo and Cincinnati, anticipating
the matchup between playoff-bound teams. And then Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin collapsed
on the field.
Seeing medical professionals at work, hearing that Hamlin had
received Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and that an Automated External
Defibrillator (AED) had been used, several names came to mind.
Zach Gabbard.
Dale Wakasugi.
Laura Griffiths.
Ryan Monahan.
Brad Wendland.
Brayden Weber.
Mike Canfield.
They don’t know each other but they have something in common:
They all suffered traumatic cardiac issues and their lives were saved. That’s
because their incidents happened during high school activities, people on site were
trained in the use of AEDs and CPR, and schools had Emergency Action Plans in
place. Those Emergency Action Plans, which the MSHSL encourages all schools to
develop and practice, are a vital life-saving practice. The MSHSL also requires all coaches to fulfill
Coaches Education Requirements, including AED training.
All NFL teams have similar plans, which are practiced throughout
the season. NFL organizations have medical professionals on hand at all practices
and games, and when something tragic happens, they spring into action. The
best-case scenario for high schools is that the same thing will happen when
someone is in trouble.
Of the names listed above, Laura Griffiths is the only one who didn’t
collapse at a practice or game. She was a basketball player at Cherry High
School who collapsed the morning
after Cherry's final regular-season home game in 2007. She was diagnosed with an
electrical abnormality that can cause the heart to race. After that, she
was forced to carry an AED in case her heart began beating at a dangerous
level. Her issue was solved surgically soon after (Read about her here: https://www.mshsl.org/about/news/johns-journal/johns-journal-when-us-senator-came-aid-cherry-high-school-athlete
)
Dale Wakasugi was a veteran basketball official who collapsed on
the court during a 2007 game at Fridley High School. Dale suffered a Myocardial Infarction caused by a blockage of his Left
Anterior Descending artery. The hero was 11th-grader Lindsey
Paradise, who had learned how to perform CPR and use an AED just three weeks
earlier during health class.
During a March 2011 basketball game
at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, Perham’s Zach Gabbard collapsed. He suffered cardiac arrest, life-saving measures were performed and he was
rushed to a hospital in Fargo. After several touch-and-go days he was
transferred to a hospital at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and
later to a rehabilitation hospital in St. Paul.
In one of the most moving moments I have witnessed,
Zach surprised his teammates by coming to Williams Arena (in a wheelchair) to
be on hand when they played in the state tournament. A movie was made about
Zach’s experience. (Read about Zach here: https://old.mshsl.org/mshsl/johnsjournal.asp?index=2304
)
As practice was beginning for the 2017 basketball season, a
Monticello sophomore named Ryan Monahan collapsed during an early-morning practice. It was his
heart. Thankfully, all the
Monticello coaches who were in the building that day had completed their
required AED training and the school had an Emergency Action Plan in place.
“When you put this plan together, you know you
can’t do everything yourself,” said Jason Schmidt, who was the head boys
basketball coach. “Fortunately, we had all those people there. No one in the
gym had used an AED in the past. We had done our training, and probably like
everyone else you assume you’re never going to have to use it. And then you do.”
(Click here and scroll to the fourth headline to read about Ryan: https://old.mshsl.org/mshsl/johnsjournal.asp?index=627
)
When veteran football official Mike
Canfield went down with a cardiac issue during a junior varsity game at Kimball
High School in 2019, a plan to save his life was already in place. And because
the plan was executed to perfection, Mike’s life was indeed saved.
Coaches and others followed Kimball’s Emergency
Action Plan and were ready when the emergency happened.
"We did have a plan," said Kimball activities director Byron Westrich, “and one of my coaches texted me right away, saying ‘Thank goodness you had that plan.’ It worked like clockwork.”
Kimball assistant football coach Jamie
Leither said, “Everybody did their job without hesitation and together saved a
life. The plan that was put together for us worked to a T. I hope we never have
to use the plan again, but we know that it does work.” (Read about Mike
here: https://www.mshsl.org/about/news/johns-journal/best-2019-20-number-5-because-plan-was-place-officials-life-was-saved
)
Becker High School wrestler Brayden Weber
was competing in the 2020 state tournament semifinals at Xcel Energy Center
when he collapsed with a heart issue. After shaking hands with his opponent as
the match ended, he collapsed much like Damar Hamlin.
CPR was performed by Dr. Mark
Berg of M Health Fairview, assisted by athletic trainers Jenna Arnold and Karin
Shelstad from the Institute for Athletic Medicine. Doctors and athletic
trainers are on hand at all MSHSL state tournaments, for which Brayden is very
thankful.
“What if I'm home alone or whatever,
somewhere by myself? That goes through your mind,” he said. “Because if it
happened at practice, I would have been screwed because we don't have a trainer
that's so close; she’s in another building.”
Brayden, who was diagnosed with
ventricular tachycardia -- a heart rhythm disorder caused by abnormal
electrical signals – is now playing football at North Dakota State. (Read about
Brayden here: https://www.mshsl.org/about/news/johns-journal/best-2019-20-number-3-brayden-weber-good-indication-i-was-dead
)
Late in the opening game of the 2021
football season, Waseca head coach Brad Wendland collapsed on the sideline due
to sudden cardiac arrest. Athletic trainers from Waseca and St. Peter (the
visiting team), joined by a nurse who was in the stands and others, saved his
life. They maintained his airway, they did chest compressions, they used an AED
to shock his heart.
Troy Hoehn, the athletic trainer at Waseca
High School, ran to Wendland and started yelling his name. There was no
response. St. Peter athletic trainer Leah Rutz sprinted across the field.
Krystal Malis, who works as an emergency room nurse at Mayo Clinic Health
System Hospital in Waseca and has two sons who play football, ran down from the
stands and leaped over the fence that surrounds the field. Waseca activities
director Joe Hedervare, who was in the press box, rushed to the field while
dialing 911.
When I talked to Brad two weeks later in
writing about what happened, he said, “You’d better put in (this story) the
importance of CPR training and having AEDs available. If one person hears it
and does it, or one person in the crowd that night gets a checkup or asks at
work, ‘Where’s our AED,’ or gets trained in CPR, it will be worth it.”
Five years earlier, Waseca
didn’t have athletic trainers at most events.
“Mayo started ramping up athletic training services
in our area, and that shouldn’t be overlooked,” Hedervare said. “Five years ago
this story could have been completely different.
I communicate what comes from the League. We have to have emergency plans in
place, we have to practice them, everybody has to be aware of what’s going on,
especially at a practice situation. If it would have happened anywhere else,
I’m not sure our response would have been good.
“We have Emergency Action Plans for all our teams.
I have heard from people (at other schools), saying they’re going to take these
things a lot more seriously. This drove the point home, that we were able to
implement this at a home event and it went as well as it did. It’s humbling,
it’s crazy. We’re so glad we have the plan in place and everything worked out
as it did.”
(Read about Brad Wendland here: https://www.mshsl.org/about/news/johns-journal/johns-journal-every-day-good-day-wasecas-wendland
)
Trained medical personnel. AEDs on site.
Plans in place for when an emergency happens. That’s how lives are saved.
--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of
Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn
and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts.
Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org
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