Preventing Tragedies

I was reading the newspaper this morning and stumbled on the story of a young boy, 15 who suffered cardiac arrest while playing a game he loved.

Family, friends and teammates are grieving after a 15-year-old Richmond teen suffered cardiac arrest at a minor hockey game Sunday night and died several hours later

This comment from a paramedic struck me in the article:

Paramedics say sometimes young people don’t pay attention to symptoms the way older adults do, writing them off as stress, athletic strain or even just too much cola or energy drinks.

I don't agree with that statement.  I think that as a society, we don't tend to think that children can be seriously ill.  I have witnessed numerous times children complaining about some symptoms that could be construed as something quite serious, only to be brushed off by the adults around them (I may have been guilty of that once or twice, maybe more myself).

I saw a child complain of chest pain, of blurred vision, severe headaches, difficulty walking (sudden) and these symptoms have been ignored.

Another child was complaining of tummy aches, turned out she had twisted bowels.  Another child complained of nausea, and turned out to have H1N1.  Initially these kids complaints were ignored.

Many of these symptoms, if mentioned by an adult would have that adult rushed to the emergency, but a child?  Sure it's nothing, let's not bother, they will feel better tomorrow.

Kids learn to dismiss many of their symptoms because the people around them have taught them to dismiss their symptoms.  A kids tells his mom, he is out of breath, mom says honey it's normal, you are active.

Maybe it's not normal, maybe it's a sign of cardiac problems.


Kids can have health problems too. Kids can die, just like older people can.  Don't take for granted that because they are young, they are fine.  Get them checked out.


Thanks for reading.