In the face of tragedy One family wants to ensure the safety of young athletes
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As they had done so many times before, Lawrence and Evelyn Pontbriant were at Norwich's Mohegan Park in mid-August to watch their son, Larry, take part in a "fun run."
They began to think something was wrong when it seemed to take Larry longer than usual to complete the first half of the race. They grew more troubled as they watched girls run past the halfway point, and still no sign of their son.
At last, when Larry came up the hill towards the pavilion where they were, they made eye contact with him — and they knew something was seriously wrong. He was struggling, sweating more than usual and pale.
He collapsed right in front of them. They thought he had passed out and tried to wake him up. Then there was no pulse and they, with the help of other bystanders, began to perform CPR, which helped. When an ambulance arrived a short time later, his heart was revived with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Unfortunately, the 15-year-old multi-sport athlete died four days later at Connecticut Children's Medical Center.
Lawrence and Evelyn Pontbriant look at pictures of their son in their Norwich home. |
Larry Pontbriant in his NFA lacrosse gear. |
No one knows the exact cause of Larry's death, but the Pontbriants know one thing: having an AED on site sooner may have saved their son's life. Even in the depth of their grief, the Pontbriants want to give other young athletes that chance.
The Norwich couple have dedicated themselves to raising funds to purchase AEDs for athletic events throughout eastern Connecticut, and raising awareness about how and when to use them.
The William W. Backus Hospital and other community partners are joining them in this initiative. Backus recently announced it will match up to 10 defibrillators purchased through the Larry Pontbriant Athletic Safety Fund, which the family started as a simple gesture for friends and family to donate to in lieu of flowers.
With community support, though, the fund is quickly evolving into much more than that.
Backus — along with American Ambulance of Norwich, the Norwich Recreation Department, the Community Foundation of the Tri-County Area, Inc., schools and other community partners — have also formed an alliance to help make a difference. Funds will be used to purchase and strategically place the devices throughout the region to benefit athletes; education and training can be coordinated so the AEDs may be used widely and effectively; health screenings can be offered to student athletes; even lawmakers can become involved to explain and perhaps reduce liability issues for so-called "Good Samaritans."
"As a community hospital with a mission of improving the health of the community, this is the right thing to do," said David Whitehead, the Vice President of Planning at Backus, who is spearheading the hospital's involvement in the fund and the awareness campaign. "Community awareness and education is perhaps the most important aspect of this issue. Working with our community partners, we plan a forum and hope to develop a pre-screening program for our community's athletes. Our overriding goal is simple: To save lives."
"This is a rare opportunity to have the community work together for a common goal, which would be to improve the safety of our young athletes," said Mr. Pontbriant, who along with his wife, Evelyn, a former Backus employee in Nuclear Medicine, readily admit that they were unaware of the importance of AEDs and how to use them.
Sitting in the living room of their Norwich home, surrounded by dozens of photos of their only child playing sports and hanging out with his many friends, the Pontbriants said they do not want to scare parents or children into not playing sports. Sports were an integral part of their son's life, and they only want to ensure that the same devastating event doesn't hurt another family.
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They never suspected that their son — so athletic, so healthy — could become a victim of cardiac arrest before their very eyes. An honor student at Norwich Free Academy, he was very active on the lacrosse team, freshman and J.V. soccer team, indoor track, was a member of the Southeast Connecticut Select Lacrosse Team, Team Central Lacrosse of Southborough, Mass., and previously on the Kelly Middle School Cross-Country Team. He had never shown a sign of heart trouble — or any other physical problem, for that matter.
But what many people don't know is that cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in athletes. Although it remains a rare phenomenon, it can many times be prevented through a combination of CPR and AEDs.
James Healy, MD, a cardiologist on the Backus Medical Staff, said AEDs are a very effective tool for resuscitation.
"If you have to wait for someone else to arrive with a defibrillator, a lot of valuable time has been lost," said Dr. Healy, who personally donated the cost of a defibrillator to the fund in memory of Larry. "The sooner treatment can begin, the more likely the resuscitation will be successful."
David Cookson, an Emergency Medical Technician at American Ambulance, said that AEDs are important life-saving devices that are very easy to use because a computerized voice leads you through the necessary steps.
Tips for athletes to avoid cardiac arrest
Athletes should have a full physical, as should anyone starting an exercise regimen. An exercise stress test should also be done to evaluate heart function while under exertion, since some heart abnormalities are harder to detect. If a player suffers from breathlessness, fainting or heart palpitations during physical exertion, further testing should be done.