On Thursday night in Las Vegas, a high schooler lost his life while participating in flag football.
The kid, later named as 16-year-old Ashari Hughes by the Clark County Coroner’s office, was participating in a game when she began having chest pains, a family member informed KVVU-TV. When she passed out, she was taking a break on the sidelines.
Hughes attended Desert Oasis High School, and Ian Salzman, the principal, wrote to parents in an email that KLAS-TV was able to get, saying that “staff immediately began administering emergency help and continued until paramedics came,” however she did not survive.
The Clark County Coroner’s office has not yet disclosed her death’s cause or manner.
However, a family member informed KVVU-TV that Hughes had persistent heart issues and was visiting a cardiologist. She had reportedly previously received permission from her doctor to participate in sports, but her parents had been debating taking her out to have her condition reevaluated.
Hughes’s family expressed their gratitude that she was able to play “the game she loved” on a GoFundMe page and stated that she “will be missed by all of us.”
“She was passionate, loving, and determined,” the family wrote. “She loved music, dancing, and being around all the people she loved. She called football the real love of her life! She loved hard and was loved by many.”
Statement from CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara in regards to the passing of a Desert Oasis High School student: pic.twitter.com/plAJck42Tu
— CCSD (@ClarkCountySch) January 6, 2023
The loss of this young life greatly saddens us, and our sympathies are with the pupils’ friends, family, and loved ones, according to a statement from Clark County School District Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara.
In his email, Salzman advised parents to keep an eye on their kids in case they show any signs of grief over Hughes’ passing and to seek help from the Crisis Response Team of the CCSD.
A few days before to the event involving Hughes, Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills experienced a heart arrest and passed out on the field after absorbing a strong tackle to the chest. That occurrence received widespread media attention. Before being sent to the hospital in severe condition, Hamlin appeared to be given oxygen and received CPR for ten minutes.
The Buffalo Bills said on Friday that Hamlin could now speak to his family and was breathing on his own. His “neurologic function remains intact,” according to the team, who also stated that he “continues to progress amazingly in his recuperation.”
