A 14-year-old boy died after suffering from cardiac arrest while running a 5K in Florida. 

On November 4, the police found the teen experiencing cardiac arrest when they reached the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) 5K at Everglades High School in Miramar, Florida, reported NBC 6 South Florida. 

After the teen arrived at the Memorial Miramar Hospital, the doctors pronounced him dead. The police have not revealed the boy’s name publicly. 

According to GoFundMe, the student was Knox MacEwen, who participated in the JROTC program at Western High School in Davie, Florida. He also volunteered at his church in the kids’ ministry. The fundraiser stated, “This family has been through the unimaginable, as this has happened as Knox’s mom, Julie, is still physically and financially recovering from a hard-fought battle with cancer this last year.”

Jimmu Arrojo, the principal of Western High School, said, “I am saddened to share tragic news impacting our Wildcat community. One of our JROTC students passed away this morning after being transported to the hospital. I want to offer my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, teachers, and classmates as they mourn this great loss. I ask our Wildcat community to rally around the family in prayer and support during this time of deep sorrow.”

An “abrupt and unexpected loss of heart function leading to loss of consciousness and collapse” is what causes a sudden cardiac arrest, a potentially fatal emergency. If not treated within minutes, it is deadly.

According to healthychildren.org, sudden cardiac arrests are rare in young people, but they can still happen. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 2,000 young, seemingly healthy people under age 25 in the United States die each year of sudden cardiac arrest.

As per a paper published in the National Library of Medicine, “About 25 per cent of cases of sudden cardiac death occur during sports. Young people with sudden cardiac death (SCD) have underlying heart disease, with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and coronary artery anomalies being the most common in most series.”

Regular wellness visits to the doctor can help identify risk factors that may contribute to sudden cardiac arrest. Early CPR and widespread availability of AEDs could prevent about 25 per cent of sudden deaths in young people, especially teenagers.