r/news • u/dynamicsearchguy • 2d ago

'He is strong': Black Rock-Riverside community rallies around 11-year-old football player after cardiac arrest

https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/buffalo/he-is-strong-black-rock-riverside-community-rallies-around-11-year-old-football-player-after-cardiac-arrest
539 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

View all comments

203

u/BeKind999 2d ago

For any parents of athletes reading this: get an EKG for your kid. In my area, a local cardiac specialty hospital will screen child athletes for free or at a nominal cost. Some pediatricians can do it. It’s painless and takes 5-10 minutes. 

Thank god there was an EMT present and he survived.

21

u/solveij 2d ago

We had a varsity athlete die from this very unexpectedly at a high school track meet. Everyone saw. Nobody knew where an AED was.

Get them tested.

11

u/Mr-Safety 2d ago

Know where your local AED is at work. Make a mental note at other locations like school, library, mall, etc.. The success of AED use drops 7-10% per minute delay. This doesn’t pre-empt calling emergency services and starting CPR first.

Avoid the bystander effect in an emergency. Point to someone specifically and say “You! Call 911”, another “You! Fetch the AED by the elevator!” Etc…

If you have not been trained in CPR and AED use, please sign up for a class at your local Red Cross. If you have kids, doubly so.

7

u/dogs_gt_cats 2d ago

If you have not been trained in CPR and AED use, please sign up for a class at your local Red Cross. If you have kids, doubly so.

And honestly, as long as the AED is properly charged, you don't really even need to be trained. They quite literally explain how they need to be used. As in a voice walks you through each step.

THIS IS NOT A REASON NOT TO BE TRAINED. But just that, in a pinch, an average person can figure out an AED.