A 13-year-old North Carolina student died less than a week after collapsing during football practice, his parents shared as they urged others to prioritize cardiac screenings for young athletes.
Caden Sorrell, a student at Northwest Middle School in Greensboro, collapsed at the beginning of his football practice on Aug. 28. By the time his parents arrived, he had gone into cardiac arrest. He was transported to a local hospital and placed on life support, receiving treatment including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and a heart pump. Despite medical efforts, Sorrell died Sunday after doctors determined he had no brain activity.
Laura Sorrell, Caden's mother, described the difficult decision to remove her son from life support. She explained that Caden's siblings had independently told her they knew he would not want to continue living in a severely compromised state. "Even though we wanted to be selfish and keep him with us, we knew that was the right thing to do," she told USA Today.
Following Caden's death, his family is focusing on his four surviving siblings, who are slated to undergo genetic testing. Doctors suspect an underlying genetic condition may have caused Caden's cardiac arrest. "If Caden had (been tested), would we have known?" Caden's oldest sister, Vanessa, questioned.
Laura Sorrell is now advocating for other parents to have their children tested for cardiac issues, especially before participating in sports. "If they have any family history of cardiac arrest, have them checked. Or even if they don’t have any history, have them checked. Genetic testing, EKG’s, especially before [playing] sports," she advised.
A celebration of life for Caden was held Wednesday at Northwest Guilford High School, drawing an estimated 500 attendees. His family urged those present to "live like Caden."