Things looked great for Matthew Nader. A high school football star, he was on top of the world, when suddenly during a high school football game, he collapsed out of nowhere and hit the ground. A ventricular fibrillation had brought Nader down.
Many people in this instance lose their lives, but Nader was lucky enough to survive. With the help of many at the game, including a cardiologist, Nader lives to this day. Another factor at play was an AED, which happened to be available at the game. This is probably the biggest factor of any.
The presence of an AED could be the difference between life and death, and they should be widespread throughout the country. Unfortunately, they come at a very high cost and it becomes a matter of what's in the budget.
With that said, AED's are crucial, as nothing is more valuable than a life itself. One of the key components to an AED is the fact that some very detailed instructions outline its use in a manner so that inexperienced people can get it working the first time around. New York state, in 2002, required an AED present in every school.
When Nadar returned to the sideline following a play, he asked his coach if he had blocked the right person. Seconds later he was down. His teammates were standing just a few feet away from Nadar. Teammate Dusty Davidson described Nadar as "The big guy on campus, he has an aura of invincibility, if Nadar can go down with this, anyone can go down with this".
Nader was assisted by a cardiologist at the game, who happened to be there to see his son play. If not for this, the outcome may have been different, though the doctor puts all of the responsibility on the AED, saying it wouldn't have been possible without the device.
Nader was in fact so good that he was granted a scholarship at the University of Texas to play football there. This is one of the nation's top college football programs and many of their alumni are in the NFL today. Unfortunately, Nader couldn't play football at Texas because of his condition. The university was still gracious enough to grant him a scholarship anyway.
Nader is now a coach on the football team for the University of Texas. Life can change in an instant, with the right medical treatment such as an AED, and the help of many caring people, you can still be a role model to others like Matthew Nadar.
Many people in this instance lose their lives, but Nader was lucky enough to survive. With the help of many at the game, including a cardiologist, Nader lives to this day. Another factor at play was an AED, which happened to be available at the game. This is probably the biggest factor of any.
The presence of an AED could be the difference between life and death, and they should be widespread throughout the country. Unfortunately, they come at a very high cost and it becomes a matter of what's in the budget.
With that said, AED's are crucial, as nothing is more valuable than a life itself. One of the key components to an AED is the fact that some very detailed instructions outline its use in a manner so that inexperienced people can get it working the first time around. New York state, in 2002, required an AED present in every school.
When Nadar returned to the sideline following a play, he asked his coach if he had blocked the right person. Seconds later he was down. His teammates were standing just a few feet away from Nadar. Teammate Dusty Davidson described Nadar as "The big guy on campus, he has an aura of invincibility, if Nadar can go down with this, anyone can go down with this".
Nader was assisted by a cardiologist at the game, who happened to be there to see his son play. If not for this, the outcome may have been different, though the doctor puts all of the responsibility on the AED, saying it wouldn't have been possible without the device.
Nader was in fact so good that he was granted a scholarship at the University of Texas to play football there. This is one of the nation's top college football programs and many of their alumni are in the NFL today. Unfortunately, Nader couldn't play football at Texas because of his condition. The university was still gracious enough to grant him a scholarship anyway.
Nader is now a coach on the football team for the University of Texas. Life can change in an instant, with the right medical treatment such as an AED, and the help of many caring people, you can still be a role model to others like Matthew Nadar.
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