On Thursday night, a sophomore high school student in Las Vegas, Nevada, died suddenly while playing flag football.
Ashari Hughes, a 16-year-old player for Desert Oasis High School, collapsed suddenly after the team’s home game against Valley High School on Thursday night because of a “medical emergency.”
One of Hughes’s relatives told FOX5 that she was playing in the field when she began experiencing chest pain.
In an email sent to students’ families, the school principal said, “staff immediately began providing medical aid and continued until paramedics arrived.”
She was rushed to the hospital but died later that night.
Superintendent of the CCSD, Dr. Jesus Jara, made a statement about Ashari’s death later Friday morning:
“The Clark County School District grieves the sudden passing of one of our student-athletes. The loss of this young life deeply saddens us, and our thoughts are with the student’s friends, family, and loved ones. When a tragedy occurs, it affects not only that school but the entire Clark County School District family, and we grieve with the students, staff, and families affected by this loss.”
The cause of Ashari’s death has not yet been revealed.
New York Post reported:
Registered nurse Aphelia Phifer-Hill posted to Facebook on Thursday night that she rushed onto the field to perform CPR on the girl, who was her daughter’s teammate, the Review-Journal reported.
“Today was the first time ever, in my 26 years of nursing that I had to do CPR on a kid,” she wrote.
Phifer-Hill wrote that the teen collapsed after the game, and “everyone was panicking” amid the cold, rainy weather, the paper reported, adding Phifer-Hill attempted chest compressions and used an external defibrillator.
“Her family was not at the game, but finally arrived,” the post continued. “We were able to get a heart rhythm.” Phifer-Hill said the teen was hospitalized and intubated before she ultimately died, the Review-Journal reported. Her post was apparently deleted after the report was published.
The fallen 16-year-old was remembered Friday for her love of the sport.
The girl’s parents, Enttroda and Twayne Hughes said in a statement, “She loved music, dancing, and being around all the people she loved … She called football the real love of her life!”
An online fundraiser for Ashari Hughes’ funeral costs was posted Friday afternoon and raised more than $2,000 in two hours. The total surpassed $21,000 of the $50,000 goal by Saturday morning.
Watch:
