Northwestern HS athlete in ICU after sudden cardiac arrest
(CBS DETROIT) – The community is rallying around a student-athlete fighting for his life.
Cartier Woods, a senior at Northwestern High School, collapsed on the basketball court during a game on Tuesday.
The coaching staff jumped in immediately to give the 18-year-old CPR after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
Doctors at Henry Ford Health brought the student-athlete back to life, but he hasn't woken up.
"It's very hard to see him like that. I would've never thought it would be him," Reeshay Tubbs, his cousin, told CBS Detroit.
According to Dr. Nasser Lakkis, Chief of Cardiology at DMC Harper Hospital, there are signs before a person's heart gives out.
"Unfortunately, many of these events are sudden but not infrequently. The athlete may complain a few minutes to several minutes before the event of chest pain or exhaustion or dizziness, lightheadedness, or feeling unwell. And I think these signs should be taken seriously," Dr. Lakkis said.
He adds an enlarged heart can be a trigger, so is this:
"One has to think of anomalous origins of the coronary artery; sometimes they come in from the wrong places they get compressed, especially when an athlete is exerting him or herself, then that would actually lead to no blood flow to that segment of the heart that can lead into an arrhythmia too," Lakkis said.
The circumstances around this case have some thinking about Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player who survived a sudden cardiac arrest last month. The event reminds people why an AED is so important.
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes. According to the CDC, about 2,000 people under 25 die each year because of it.
Detroit Public Schools Community District said Thursday they're asking for everyone's continued prayers that Woods fully recovers.
"We love you, Cartier. Just get up. All you have to do is wake up. We're here when you wake up," Tubbs said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with medical expenses.
