A graduate of Riverhead High School in Riverhead, New York died suddenly of apparent cardiac arrest, following a seizure at his home on Saturday, according to his family.
Eighteen-year-old Denis Ruano came home around midnight after visiting his girlfriend looking “completely normal”, his father, Melvin Ruano, said. He let his mother know that he was home and went to bed.
At around 1:30 in the morning, Denis’ grandmother heard him struggling and complaining and realizing something is wrong, she decided to wake up the rest of the family. That’s when they discovered that Denis was having a seizure and they called 911.
After several attempts to save his life by the emergency medical personnel, he was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center for further treatment. The doctor told the family that they were treating him, but his heart was not working on its own and after 10 minutes they would need to disconnect him from the machines. After the 10 minutes had passed, the doctor informed the family that there was nothing more they could do for Denis.
Melvin said that the family is in shock and are eagerly awaiting the autopsy results to learn the cause of Denis’ death. According to Melvin, his son had no known health issues prior to his sudden passing.
A fundraiser has been organized on GoFundMe to help the family with Denis’ funeral expenses.
