A senior on the Lake Travis varsity football team in Texas has died days after suffering a cardiac arrest during practice. Odin Hensley experienced a medical emergency on Monday morning and was airlifted to Dell Children's Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition in the ICU.
Lake Travis ISD Superintendent Curtis Null confirmed Hensley's passing in a letter to families and staff on Thursday, stating that the student died as a result of complications from the medical emergency. "It is with profound sadness that we share that Lake Travis High School senior Odin Hensley has passed away as a result of complications from a medical emergency," Null wrote. "During this difficult time, we ask that you keep Odin's family, teammates and classmates, coaches, athletic trainers, teachers, and all those who knew and loved him in your thoughts and prayers."
Tributes have poured in from friends, family, teammates, and staff, who remembered Hensley as a "determined young man" and a "valued" member of the football team.
A GoFundMe page established to support Hensley's family has raised over $150,000. The page's description states the funds will go toward hospital bills, rehabilitation, and assisting with lost income as his parents focus on supporting him. "The last thing this family should have to worry about right now is how they are going to manage financially when all of their energy needs to be on Odin and his healing," the description reads.
Greg Gold, a parent who witnessed the medical emergency, praised the swift and composed response of the Lake Travis coaching staff, athletic trainers, medical staff, and EMS professionals. "It was incredibly clear that the people responsible for the safety and care of our kids were highly trained, prepared, and remarkably composed in an extremely difficult situation," Gold wrote on Facebook. "The coaches handled the emotions of the moment while quickly and calmly getting the other players off the field without creating additional panic."