Fayetteville (WSYR-TV) - A Jamesville-DeWitt lacrosse player and his family showed their gratitude Monday evening for the Fayetteville-Manlius athletic trainer who helped save the boy's life.
Dan Cochran, a sophomore, nearly died when he was hit in the chest by a lacrosse ball during tryouts. F-M athletic trainer Cyndi Kelder and Section III lacrosse chairman Thomas Hall watched it all unfold. Kelder used one of the district's defibrillators to revive Cochran.
Last month, Rome lacrosse coaches Jeremy Roberts and Guy Calandra were also honored. They administered CPR to Cochran in the moments after the incident.
Rome coaches honored for saving lacrosse player's life
June 29
Rome (WSYR-TV) - A local lacrosse player's heart stopped after he was hit in the chest with a ball, but some quick thinking from the coaches on the sidelines saved his life.
Even at a young age, Elana Roberts knows her dad did something special. "He saved a boy's life," she said.
Without her father Jeremy Roberts and his fellow Rome High School Lacrosse coach Guy Calandra, things might have turned out differently for Daniel Cochran. "He went to shoot and I tried to turn to get out of the way and it really didn't work," Cochran said. "I think I probably took like two steps. I tried to yell and then I just fell onto my face."
"I started to roll him over and tried to talk to him thinking he injured his neck or something and then I called for Jeremy," said Coach Calandra.
"It's a yell that I'll never forget, to say the least, and I knew it was time to do something," Coach Roberts said.
"Jeremy was checking for breaths and we just looked at each other," Calandra recalled.
"And unfortunately there was nothing at that time and then we proceeded with CPR," said Roberts.
Shortly thereafter, a trainer brought an automated external defibrillator that jump started Cochran's heart.
Roberts and Calandra were presented plaques Wednesday night by the Rome City School District, in honor of their quick reaction that helped to save Cochran's life.
"Our goal as coaches is to win a section title or a state title someday," said Coach Roberts. "This is bigger than any of that."
The incident has given the American Heart Association a new example in making the case to add CPR to the curriculum. It's something they've been trying to get the State Legislature to pass for years.
"In this case, this student athlete would have had a 92-percent chance of not surviving had this system not been in place the way it was," said Mike Addario of the American Heart Association.
The American Heart Association plans to continue their push for CPR in schools again next year. Most Central New York schools already offer some form of training, but not all.
Lacrosse player's heart stops after he was hit in the chest
June 16
Fayetteville (WSYR-TV) - During Wednesday evening tryouts for a summer all-star team, a sophomore lacrosse player was hit in the chest with a ball and went into cardiac arrest. Thanks to the quick response from coaches and athletic trainers, the teen survived.
Daniel Cochran's heart was restarted with the help of a defibrillator. He was taken to University Hospital, but released less than a day later with only a bruise and a hospital bracelet as outward signs of how close he'd come to death.
"He went to shoot, and I tried to turn to get out of the way. It didn't really work," Daniel said. "I think I probably took like two steps. I tried to yell, and then I just fell on my face."
Lying on the field at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Dan was in serious trouble.
"It hit him at the perfect timing," said Danielle Boland, Daniel's mother. "It had stopped his heart."
Daniel's father, Sean Boland, has worked for Rural Metro for 20 years and he's given CPR on the phone hundreds of times. Now, he saw coaches were performing the procedure on his son. "I saw the fire trucks and ambulance and police go by and I said to myself, boy I hope that's not Daniel," he said.
Then, a certified athletic trainer jump-started his heart with an automated external defibrillator.
"It worked to perfection, as it should," said F-M Athletic Director Rich Roy. "Coaches, these are all high school coaches. They're trained in first aid and CPR and AED."
The F-M athletic department has a number of AEDs located throughout campus in order to accommodate the more than 100 different teams that play on these fields. Seven of the devices are portable, and one was on the field Wednesday night.
Thursday is Danielle Boland's birthday. She says she's very grateful for the gift of life being restored to her son. "They brought him back to us. Because, if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't be here," she said.
"It's kind of mind boggling. One minute I'm on the verge of death and the next minute I'm being discharged," Daniel Cochran said.
Daniel says he will undoubtedly return to the lacrosse field. "I love the game, I love it," he said.
