North Texas community inspired to learn life-saving skills after coach dies from heart attack on baseball field
This Heart Month, the American Heart Association is emphasizing that when a cardiac emergency happens, bystanders are the first responders. It's a lesson one Aledo group prioritizes as they turn tragedy into training.
Throughout the spring and fall, Little League Baseball fields are bustling with activity. It's a scene Niki Thompson knows well.
"Thousands of people walk through these gates," Niki Thompson said of the Aledo Athletic Inc fields. "Children, adults, thousands every fall and every spring."
Each of the bases holds memories, but the fields in Aledo off Bankhead Highway also hold a legacy.
"When our oldest started baseball here, it was one of the proudest days of Cole's life," Niki Thompson said.
Cole Thompson, Niki's husband, grew up on the Aledo Athletics Inc baseball fields and then coached the next generation, including his own children, on the same diamonds.
"He had waited for that moment, and he believed in Aledo Athletics," Niki Thompson said. "He believed in children, no matter what their ability or capability, being able to be a part of something."
Now, Cole Thompson's life is forever remembered on the fields.
"He had a catastrophic heart attack on field six at our son's baseball practice," Niki Thompson said. "He was a healthy 41-year-old man, zero risks, zero warnings."
A sign on the outfield fence is dedicated to his life, and other signs around the complex are dedicated to his legacy.
"What happened to Cole was very sudden and very tragic, but there are so many cardiac events that are able to be saved," Niki Thompson said.
Turning tragedy into action
Aledo Athletics Inc VP of Baseball & Director of Facilities, Chris Kaufman, and his fellow board members knew that saving lives would start with training, so Aledo Athletics partnered with the American Heart Association.
"They have helped us train over 100 coaches, parents and assistants, board members," Kaufman said. "And they continue to give us resources on what we can do going forward to be ready in case of an incident."
This includes being ready with two new AED's and multiple copies of the cardiac emergency response plan for Aledo Athletics, being posted throughout the baseball fields.
"We don't ever want to have to pull that machine out and utilize it, but we are ready for it and prepared for it," Kaufman said.
Hilda Colunga with the American Heart Association said cardiac events can happen anytime to anyone.
"The American Heart Association knows if you are able to get an AED on somebody within minutes, you are improving their likelihood of survival by up to three times," Colunga said. "1,000 people a day suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest, so it can happen to anyone anywhere even if they are not at high risk."
The training and planning by Aledo Athletics is now empowering the community to be ready to respond and allowing Cole Thompson's legacy to live on.
"I believe that God uses us and uses our story, and He can create light in dark spaces," Niki Thompson said. "And Cole's death was very, very dark, but there is goodness that has come out of it."