It was a excessive stakes playoff basketball sport between Floral Park Memorial and West Hempstead Excessive Faculties.
Joe Gaskin, 64 years outdated, was considered one of three referees officiating the sport. Almost in direction of the top of the primary quarter, Gaskin out of the blue felt out of breath.
“One of the coaches asked me, ‘hey ref, are you feeling okay?’ I said I’m having a tough time catching my breath,” recalled Gaskin who has been a referee for 37 years. “I took the ball and then I felt I went down and then I was out.”
Gaskin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed. The sport was stopped and many individuals flew into motion, together with Wantagh Excessive College Athletic Director Jennifer Keane, who can also be an assistant coordinator for the New York State Public Excessive College Athletic Affiliation and was serving to to attain the sport.
“I jumped up and ran over and could hear him gasping for breaths and starting to turn color,” mentioned Keane who has identified Gaskin for twenty years. She was involved about her good friend however her instincts kicked in. As a former athletic coach, Keane instantly known as for an AED.
Keane cleared the courtroom making an attempt to protect the gamers from a life-or-death emergency. Many individuals jumped to assist, together with Tiffany Vargas of Floral Park. She had introduced her youngsters to look at the sport to assist their college group and he or she additionally occurs to be a cardiac failure nurse at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Queens.
“I told my daughter, I have to help. So I ran down to the court,” Vargas instructed NBC New York, “when I heard them say no pulse, that’s when I immediately started to do chest compressions and called for the AED”
There have been three different dad and mom on the sport that got here to assist Gaskin. A health care provider and two nurses. All of them got here collectively to assist Gaskin and one administered the AED. All of the whereas Keane was speaking to him, making an attempt to consolation him, “I just kept saying Joe, we got you Joe, stay with us Joe. I just kept calling his name talking to him. He came to after one use of the AED.”
When Gaskin opened his eyes, he was confused, however shortly felt higher when he noticed a well-known face.
“I looked up and there was my angel Jen,” Gaskin recalled. “And I remember asking her, do I have pants on? She said, I got you, you’re going to be all right.”
Gaskin was rushed to the hospital the place he was handled for greater than per week. He was shocked to be taught the suspected supply of his cardiac arrest was a attainable parasite. Docs are nonetheless doing exams to pinpoint a trigger.
Not too long ago, Keane, Vargas and the opposite individuals who rushed to assist Gaskin had been honored at a current dinner. Gaskin was grateful to fulfill the individuals who saved him.
“Those five individuals had no practice but they jumped onto the court not knowing each others names,” he praised. “They executed a perfect game plan and they saved my life and we are joined at the hip for the rest of our lives.”
Vargas who routinely saves the lives of sufferers on the hospital, mentioned that is the primary time she’s ever resuscitated somebody exterior of labor and it has been very significant.
“I was so honored to be able to save his life,” mentioned Vargas. “This was my first time being able to rescue someone in the field and I was so happy that I was able to utilize the training that I’ve been doing for the past 17 years,”
Gaskin is on the mend and appears ahead to having the ability to referee video games subsequent years. He additionally remembers what he instructed Jen moments after he was saved, “I told her, I’m glad I’m looking at your face and not God because I want to stay here longer, my grandkids are too young.”
