Odin Hensley, a 17-year-old football player for Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas, died late Wednesday after suffering a cardiac arrest during practice two days earlier, his family confirmed to the American-Statesman.
“It is still unbelievable,” Hensley’s stepmother, Angel Ruiz, said Thursday.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services public information officer Shannon Koersterer said Tuesday in a statement to the American-Statesman that ATCEMS and Travis County Star Flight responded to a situation Monday morning at the school for a “reported seizure.”
Lake Travis ISD shared news of Hensley’s death with the school community in an email Thursday.
“At Lake Travis High School, he was a dedicated two-sport athlete who excelled in wrestling and football,” the statement said.
“His teachers and coaches remember Odin as a kind, determined young man who was a valued teammate, classmate, and friend. His presence touched many lives, and he will be deeply missed.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser “organized to help take some of that financial stress” off of the family’s shoulders said Hensley, a senior, died after he was transported by helicopter, via Travis County STAR Flight, and admitted to the intensive care unit of Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin.
Lake Travis football coach Hank Carter shared on social media Monday that a “student-athlete suffered a serious health emergency” around 8 a.m. and was taken to a hospital by helicopter.
Around 350 people attended a vigil for Henlsey Wednesday evening at Lake Hills Church.
Carter told the American-Statesman that it’s a “very difficult time for us” on Wednesday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
