Mother of Archer soccer participant who died on the sphere honors his reminiscence with AED donation

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – The mom of a former Archer Excessive College soccer participant who died after collapsing at a university soccer apply made a life-saving donation to a fellow Gwinnett County highschool on Tuesday.

Michelle Wilson gifted the athletics division at Seckinger Excessive College a brand-new AED in reminiscence of her son Nick Blakely.

Who’s Nick Blakely?

The backstory:

Nick Blakely was a graduate of Archer Excessive College, who went on to play Division 1 faculty soccer at Stetson College in Florida. 

Blakely had goals of ultimately going to the NFL. These goals have been crushed when he collapsed on the sphere throughout a soccer apply in 2017.

Blakely died on the sphere. It was later decided he had gone into Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

What’s sudden cardiac arrest?

What we all know:

Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening situation the place an individual’s coronary heart out of the blue stops beating correctly. 

It’s the primary explanation for dying for pupil athletes on college campuses.

There are sometimes no warning indicators, however signs embrace chest ache, shortness of breath, dizziness, or coronary heart palpitations throughout exercise.

One in 300 youths have a detectable coronary heart situation that would result in Sudden Cardiac Arrest. 80 p.c don’t have any signs previous to going into cardiac arrest.

Why you need to care:

Blakely’s dying, together with Buford Center College pupil athlete Jeremy Nelson’s passing in 2013, prompted Georgia state lawmakers to move a invoice requiring pupil athletes to study the indicators of Sudden Cardiac Arrest and be reviewed by coaches every year. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed the invoice into legislation on Might 2, 2019.

By the Nick Blakely Basis, Wilson is maintaining her son’s legacy alive and attempting to forestall different pupil athletes from struggling the identical destiny as her son.

She has donated practically a dozen defibrillators to sports activities teams and colleges across the state. On Tuesday, she gifted an AED to Seckinger Excessive College.

Wilson has additionally partnered with Gwinnett County Parks to carry annual coronary heart screening clinics which might be free for anybody ages 10-22.

What’s subsequent:

The following free screening clinic will happen on March 22 at Rhodes Jordan Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.