21 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A child playing for League 42 is in the hospital after collapsing during practice on Tuesday night. Fast action from a volunteer coach is credited with helping to save the child’s life.
Karina Lopez’s son Guillermo was born with a genetic heart defect and had a pacemaker installed when he was younger. Lopez said she never thought her son’s life would be in jeopardy while playing baseball.
Lopez was in her car in the parking lot. She was taking a video of the team running laps when she saw her son collapse.
“In that moment, I just break down to pieces. You know, seeing my child there in the field and not responding,” said Lopez.
Guillermo’s coaches, at first, thought he had tripped but then realized the situation was more serious.
“They did CPR on him. They were on the emergency call. It was fast. They did a pretty good job calling the EMS right away,” said Lopez.
His coach, Juan Valarde, said he’s never been in a situation like Tuesday night’s practice. He said he was running on adrenaline while on the phone with 911, starting CPR.
“It was everywhere. I saw his skin color turning a different color, and when she started telling me what to do, I just knew I had to act fast,” said Valarde.
Guillermo is recovering at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. His mother was not allowed to fly with him and said the drive up to Kansas City felt like an eternity.
He finally opened his eyes to the sound of her voice, and relief flooded over her.
“I was like, ‘Hey, mommy’s here. Daddy’s here. Can you hear us? Can you see us?’ He woke up again, and he smiled at me, and he went back to sleep again,” said Lopez.
Guillermo is on a long journey toward recovery, which includes heart surgery to replace his pacemaker. Despite the frightening situation, his mom isn’t ruling out a return to the diamond.
“If he feels like that’s what he wants to do, and doctors say that he’s fine with doing it, then yeah, he eventually wants to do baseball again,” said Lopez.
The coach who jumped to help said he was not trained in CPR and that the dispatcher walked him through what to do in the situation.
Courtesy: Karina Lopez
The founder of League 42 said this is a wake-up call for their league. He is looking into CPR certification for every coach.