Life and death: AEDs save lives on sports fields

During a lacrosse game nearly two years ago, Loyola Blakefield’s Peter Laake was struck in the chest with a ball in a game against McDonogh. The trauma happened at a crucial time during the cycle of a heartbeat and caused a rare disruption of its rhythm.

He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital after receiving emergency care from trainers and doctors at Loyola’s Hargaden Field in Towson.

It was determined Laake suffered commotio cordis – a sudden arrhythmic disruption caused by a low/mild chest wall impact. The incident was similar to what happened to Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin in which he suffered cardiac arrest during a recent Monday night football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The staff at Loyola Blakefield was prepared for the event and their quick action saved Laake’s life.

Jeremy Parr, Loyola’s assistant director of athletics, walks around with an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a backpack, and he was able to use the equipment to resuscitate Laake.

It was fortunate that Parr was hovering close to the lacrosse game because quick action is literally the difference between life and death. 

“If he was out back, we would have had a different outcome for Peter,” said Laake’s father, also named Peter. “After the event with Peter, Loyola was able to put three AEDs on the practice fields. They’re out there 24/7 because these types of accidents are more likely to happen just by percentage from practice time to game time.”

Peter Laake, now a 17-year-old junior at Loyola Blakefield, thanks God he’s alive. He’s using his experience to raise awareness of the importance of having AEDs on athletic fields.

“I would hope that everyone can hear and see my story and see how it doesn’t take much and it’s very unlikely to happen but it can happen,”  Laake said. “Be prepared with the right equipment because you never know.”

Loyola now has 17 AEDs – three purchased and donated by the Laake family. Three devices are strategically placed outdoors – one in the baseball dugout, one outside the training room office that serves two new athletic fields, and the third on the lacrosse/football field.

“We’re very fortunate here and we would hope that everyone deserves that opportunity to survive equally,” Parr said. “If you’re playing in an athletic event at the youth, high school or college level, our message would be there is a plan of action for an emergency response and that you have the right personnel and right equipment to enact that plan.”

That day Laake was injured was especially tough for his mother, Carron. His injury occurred on the same day as the death of her father and she believes there was some divine intervention.

“Looking back on it, my father was a football referee and here we were on a football field and you really believe that my dad had something to do with it,” Carron Laake said.

Parr also believed that a higher power had a hand in saving Laake’s life. The Laake family belongs to St. Michael Parish in Poplar Springs.

“Whether it was his grandfather or God working in his way, he had the right people in the right spot at the right time to make everything work out the right way and make this a great story,” Parr said. “Peter is recovering from a musculoskeletal injury now that has kept him out longer than having a cardiac arrest.”

Laake’s father added: “We certainly asked the Lord for help. Carron and I were next to him on the field as they were trying to resuscitate him and bring him back to life.”

After the event, Loyola’s training staff debriefed the school staff and faculty, who also became CPR certified. The school is currently in discussions with the American Heart Association to train the entire student body in CPR. 

“Obviously, we are eternally grateful for the doctors and nurses and athletic trainers at Loyola,” Carron Laake said. “We are grateful that Loyola had an action plan in place. To see what happened to Damar Hamlin on Monday Night Football, it’s kind of amazing to think we had a similar situation at a high school lacrosse game.”

Parr said schools in the archdiocese are well-equipped to handle medical emergencies. The school ensures they have a talented training staff that can respond to any event. Injuries can become a matter of life and death and other athletic programs need to realize the importance of being prepared.

“We’re very fortunate in the archdiocese that all of the competitive high schools – from an athletic trainer perspective – all of the trainers have AEDs with them,” Parr said. “When our schools compete with other archdiocese schools, we feel comfortable that there is going to be the same standard of care.”

Peter Laake has already committed to play lacrosse at the University of Maryland, which is the defending NCAA Division I national champion. He’ll never forget that critical day in April 2021.

“There were tons of people reaching out to me and just praying for me after it happened,” he said. “I think everybody at the school might have texted in the first two days. Everybody was there to help me. … For me, it’s not a super scary thing looking back on it. I was really fortunate for the action plan that happened. I’m just glad for Mr. Parr and everyone who was there.”

To read more about Heart to Beat and the device that helped saved Laake’s life go to: https://catholicreview.org/heart-to-beat-initiative-takes-proactive-approach-to-sports-safety/

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