Kyle Lippo
Less than a week later, 12-year old Kyle Lippo, a 7th grader from Round Lake, Illinois, complained of a headache during a youth football game. Paramedics were called and rushed Kyle to Condell Medical Center, then via emergency helicopter to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, where he died on the morning of September 27, 2003 from head trauma. A Boy Scout, Kyle ran on the track team, played trombone in the band and had just been elected student council representative by his class. Over 300 people attended Kyle's memorial.
Merridy Stilwell
Just two days later, tragedy struck in the Pacific Northwest. On September 29, 2003, Merridy Stilwell, a 12-year old 7th grader from Lake Stevens, Washington, collapsed during a cross-country meet. Coaches performed immediate CPR, and firefighters arrived within 4 minutes and attempted to restore a normal heart rhythm with a portable, computerized device called an automated external defibrillator (AED). Despite their efforts, Merridy died later that evening at Providence Everett Medical Center from a previously undiagnosed heart condition called cardiomyopathy, a rare form of muscle damage to the heart. Described by her mother as "beautiful [and] special," Merridy was remembered as a happy, upbeat, effervescent girl who loved to smile and make people laugh, studied hard, liked taekwondo, soccer and basketball, and enjoyed helping her mother with their Dobermans at dog shows.
Zachary Tran
Two days later, on October 1, 2003, Zachary Tran, a 6-year old 1st grader from Vernon Hills, Illinois, became the second Lake County, Illinois youth to die playing sports. Zachary was at soccer practice when his mother saw him hanging on the crossbar of a large, metal soccer goal. She told her son to stop and walked away. When she returned moments later, she found him on the field surrounded by a group of people. The goal had fallen on Zachary, causing massive head injuries. Paramedics were unable to revive him, and Zachary was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital less than an hour later from blunt head trauma.
Jessica Clinton
The next day, October 2, 2003, it was Port St. Lucie, Florida's turn to suffer the pain of a youth sports death. Jessica Clinton, a 17-year old high school senior, was getting some water during cheerleading practice when she fell, lost consciousness, stopped breathing, and later died. An autopsy revealed that Jessica died of cardiac dysrhythmia caused by an undetected congenital heart condition called mitral valve prolapse. Jessica was student council president and head of the cheerleading squad, known for her "million dollar smile." About 1,000 people attended her open-casket funeral.
Nick Frid
That same day, October 2, 2003, three thousand miles north, in Durham, New Hampshire, an undetected heart condition claimed the life of another student athlete. 18-year old Nick Frid, a first-year pre-vet student at the University of New Hampshire, was practicing with the novice crew when he collapsed and died from SCA, which kills an average of 7,000 children a year. "Nick was just a great kid, and we all are devastated," said UNH crew coach and family friend, Pete Cathey. "Nick was the kind of person where you just couldn't wait to see what he'd be like in 20 years, what his kids would be like."
Joseph DiPrete-DiGioia
On October 4, 2003, just two days later, tragedy again struck New England when Joseph DiPrete-DiGioia, a 14-year-old high school freshman from Belfast, Maine, collapsed and died while running through woods in a cross-country meet. When Joseph failed to emerge from the woods at the finish line, his parents notified organizers and an extensive search was mounted. His body was not found until several hours later, hidden in some bushes beside the running trail. " [Joseph] was a bright student and well liked by everybody he hung out with," said Joseph's school principal, Butch Arthers.
Jacob Salter
Six days later, on October 10, 2003, Jacob Salter, an 8-year old from the Washington, D.C. suburb of Centreville, Virginia, collapsed on the sideline during a youth football game. A cardiac nurse began CPR, and Jacob's parents raced to the scene, his father driving his SUV right on to the field, his mother, Annie, arriving moments later. "I kept saying, 'Jacob, mommy loves you, your daddy loves you, don't give up yet, keep fighting, Jacob,'" she said. Jacob was pronounced dead two hours later at a nearby hospital. He suffered from a heart condition called mitral valve prolapse (leaky heart valve), but had been cleared to play by a cardiologist. While Jacob's parents were worried about their son's condition, they said he enjoyed football so much they couldn't bear to keep him from playing. Scott Galloway, commissioner of the Fairfax County league, remembered Jacob as a "sweet little kid." At the end of a memorial service for Jacob on the field where he fell, teammates ran the "flea-flicker" play they had been practicing for Jacob where the quarterback would give him the ball, Jacob would toss it back and then run deep for a touchdown pass. The play went off as planned, with one difference: when the ball was thrown towards the end zone, Jacob wasn't there to catch it.
