A 13-year-old student at a North Carolina middle school died unexpectedly during football practice, as announced by school administrators earlier this week.
The Northwest Guilford Middle School Facebook page posted a message from school principal CeCe Matson on Aug. 30, stating that the school was "grieving the loss of one of our students."
"There are no easy words to make sense of losing a child, and our hearts are with the family, friends, classmates, and all who loved him," the post stated.
Despite attempted lifesaving measures at the nearby Cone Hospital, the student, who was later identified as Caden Sorrell, died of cardiac arrest. Here's what else we know.
What happened to Caden Sorrell?
According to a GoFundMe posted by the Sorrell family, Caden Sorrell died unexpectedly
after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest during football practice at his middle school. Medical professionals at the nearby Cone Hospital reportedly attempted lifesaving measures, including a heart pump, ECMO (a procedure in which blood is pumped outside of the body to a machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-rich blood back to the body) and other "invasive treatment."
Despite these efforts, the damage was too severe and hospital staff was unable to save Caden Sorrell's life. He died at the age of 13 on Aug. 30, leaving behind a twin brother and three other siblings, according to the GoFundMe.
What caused Caden Sorrell's death?
According to the GoFundMe, doctors believe Caden Sorrell's death may have been caused by an "underlying genetic condition." Because of this, part of the GoFundMe donations will go to the cost of genetic testing for his four siblings.
Caden Sorrell GoFundMe
A GoFundMe asking $50,000 was created by a member of the Sorrell family following Caden's death.
The page states that donations will be used to ease the financial burden of funeral expenses, memorial costs, lost wages as the family takes time off from work to grieve and genetic testing for Caden's siblings to rule out the presence of a condition that may have caused Caden's sudden death.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: NC middle schooler dies during football practice from cardiac arrest
