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A high school football star died from cardiac arrest after he suddenly collapsed during gym class last week in Alaska, reports said.
Levi Curry, 15, was declared brain-dead the night of Friday, Nov. 6, after collapsing at Alaska’s Eagle River High School the previous day, according to a GoFundMe organized on behalf of the boy’s family.
The family thanked school staff and paramedics in a statement for responding quickly after the horrific incident, and said that paramedics provided the boy with CPR as he was transported to the hospital but were unable to save him.
“Levi was more than a football player. He was a son, a friend, a teammate, a brother, and a valued member of our Wolves family,” the school’s football team posted on Facebook.
Curry’s parents, Mary and James, told Alaska’s News Source that he had been born with a heart condition but that a recent surgery had nearly cured it.
“The surgery basically healed it; other than that, he’s just like a normal kid,” James said.
The last conversation the boy’s anguished father had with his son was over Curry being honored as one of the state’s top football players.
“Levi was like so excited about that, he was really joyful, and he called his dad to tell him,” Mary said.
“I was out of town, that was the last conversation I had with him, and it was a good one,” James said.
Curry’s coach remembered him as a great football player and a positive presence on the field.
“There was plenty of times that I could be having a bad day at work, and I could get to the ball field, and you know see him coming up and his smile would just kind of wash that bad day away,” said Eagle River High School football coach Jonathan Wetzel.
“I think 17 years now, and I’ve never had a ninth-grader start for varsity, especially on the offensive line,” Wetzel added.
Curry’s funeral was Wednesday and was attended by over 500 people.
“It’s amazing, it’s just amazing how many people just showed up for Levi,” Curry’s older brother Noah said.
“I wasn’t really surprised because I knew he was popular,” his younger sister Sarah said.
