Stillwater student goes into sudden cardiac arrest during football practice

A mother is organizing support on GoFundMe to help train and prioritize First Aid and CPR in the St. Croix River Valley after her son suffered a cardiac emergency during football practice.

Katie Hawke is a firefighter with the Stillwater Fire Department, and her son Keegan is a sophomore at Stillwater High School. On Sept. 24, while at football practice, Keegan went into sudden cardiac arrest. After being given lifesaving care at the scene, was place in a medically induced coma for three days.

Keegan's father Ryan has since been shared in a Caringbridge post that the cardiac arrest has been linked to Torsades de Pointe, a heart rhythm condition that developed into the potentially deadly Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia (CPVT).

His life was saved by the CPR he received at the scene and the shock from an automated external defibrillator (AED)

"So it is now confirmed, without the fast response of coaches, trainers, teammates, and medical personnel Keegan would not have made it," Ryan Hawke wrote.

"So to all of you, we cannot say thank you enough for saving our son's life! We need a giant statue of all of you, showing you as the heroes you are!"

After his near-death experience, Katie and Keegan decided they wanted to help others around the St. Croix River Valley train and prioritize first aid and CPR.

According to the GoFundMe, donations will go towards medical bills, CPR classes for coaches, and AEDs for use on the field at sporting events and practice.

"Katie and Keegan want to help protect kids in every level of sports," the fundraiser reads. "Without these trained people being on the field, Keegan would have had a very different outcome."

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