Article reposted from My San Antonio
Author: Adam Zuvanich
Reagan’s basketball season has so far been defined by a series of close losses.
It may ultimately be defined by the way the Rattlers responded in a time of crisis, because their performance under pressure Tuesday morning helped the team avoid the ultimate loss.
A Reagan player, who the Express-News confirmed is reserve junior guard Kaeyel Moore, collapsed on the court and went into cardiac arrest while warming up for Tuesday’s practice. He stopped breathing and was resuscitated by assistant athletic trainer Joe Martinez, who performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) before turning Moore over to paramedics.
Martinez and Reagan coach John Hirst both said Wednesday one of their players remains hospitalized and is undergoing tests. Hirst said he is conscious, comfortable and has experienced no more episodes, which is a relief to the rest of the Rattlers.
“It was a life-changing experience for everyone involved yesterday,” Hirst said. “We’re just so grateful and feel so fortunate that things worked out like they did. He could very easily not be with us right now.”
Martinez said Moore was suffering from ventricular tachycardia, a condition in which the lower chambers of the heart beat abnormally fast. Prior to Tuesday, Martinez said he had shown no signs of the condition or experienced any similar issues.
Hirst said he initially thought Moore, a first-year varsity player who has scored six points this season for Reagan (10-12), had tripped and fallen. The coach quickly discovered the situation was more serious and called for Martinez.
Moore had turned blue, was not breathing and did not have a pulse when Martinez began chest compressions and hooked Moore up to the AED, a machine that monitors heart function and provides automated feedback.
“When it said, ‘Shock advised, clear the patient,’ that’s when I knew this was not good,” Martinez said. “He’s in a pretty bad spot right now if he needs a shock.”
Moments after administering the shock and resuming chest compressions, Martinez said Moore started breathing again, regained consciousness and even was coherent and smiling. An ambulance took Moore to North Central Baptist Hospital, which is directly behind the Reagan campus.
Martinez, 27, a San Diego, Texas, native in his second year at Reagan, said it was the first time he had to use CPR and an AED in a “real-life scenario.” He said he merely reacted and utilized his training, then became emotional afterward.
“Martinez was a hero yesterday. He was a flat-out hero,” Hirst said. “He’ll be a hero to me for as long as I live.”
Hirst said he is unsure how long Moore will be hospitalized — he was temporarily transported to Methodist Hospital on Wednesday for more tests — and does not anticipate him playing again this season.