MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Spring sports are kicking off across the mid-state with young athletes taking the field hoping to rack up some wins.
The Olsen family of Murfreesboro told me they hope sharing their nightmare-turned-miracle story will inspire sports leagues to be prepared for an emergency. That’s exactly what brought a couple dozen people to a Rutherford County elementary school on a Saturday morning. Coaches and parents with the local little league doing their own spring training.
“You never expect something like this to happen but once it does you have to know how to act,” says Jim Tracy, who was in attendance with his wife.
The group spent time learning CPR, how to use an AED, and getting questions answered from nurse, Angel Carter. Carter is the program coordinator for Project ADAM through Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
“Sudden cardiac arrest happens to about 356,000 people a year in the United States, that’s about 900 people a day. For me, the important statistic is about 7,000 of those 356,000 people are young people less than 18 years of age. So as coaches, as parents, we need to know that this is a thing,” Carter tells the group.
That reality is not lost on anyone in this room. They all know Tyler Olsen’s story – who sits quietly nearby.
Less than a year ago, at 15 years old, Tyler collapsed on Field 5 at McKnight Park in Murfreesboro. Jamie Olsen says Tyler was playing the game of his life but as Tyler was up to bat, about to clinch the win for his team, he collapsed.
“He stepped back into the box, got realigned, and he stepped back and collapsed right on the field — just went down. I was screaming call 911 and running onto the field as fast as I could.”
And then Jamie did what most of us cannot imagine: she gave her son CPR.
“I just kept saying push hard, keep pushing hard, and there was a gentleman there doing his breathes for him and a couple times he grabbed me like ‘stop let me breathe for him’ because I was like no… I can't . . . I can't . . . I can't let you go.”
An AED was located and after two shocks Tyler regained consciousness.
“We didn't know there would be an AED here, I never thought about that.”
But since that day, the Olsen family has thought about little else.
Tyler is recovering physically, now with an implanted defibrillator, and the family is vocal about the mental trauma of sudden cardiac arrest. They were watching when NFL player, Damar Hamlin, collapsed during a nationally televised game and knew immediately what happened.
“After a couple of minutes we had to shut off the TV,” says Brian Olsen, Tyler’s dad.
Part of their healing is creating Fighting Chance — an AED awareness nonprofit to equip youth sports facilities with AEDs and the people who run them with the "know-how" to save a life.
“It’s really getting people to think through what it would look like if it happened during my practice, my kid’s game, who's going to help me,” says Carter as she leads this group brought together by the Olsen family.
A scenario that is tough to think about, but the alternative is far worse.
“If we can save another child – just one out of all this – it’s worth it,” says Jamie.
If your team or group is interested in CPR / AED training reach out to Angel Carter who is the Program Coordinator for Project ADAM through Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
To find out more about the Olsen’s Fighting Chance, visit the non-profit's Facebook page.
