03/05/2025
Six-year-old Oscar Stuebe was playing center field. When a batter hit a pop fly, Oscar took off running, It looked like he'd made the catch. Then the ball dropped. Oscar bowed his head and collapsed.
Instead of hitting his glove, the baseball had hit him in the chest, throwing his heart out of a normal rhythm and causing it to stop beating. Cardiac arrest caused by a blow to the chest is known as commotio cordis. It's what happened to Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin.
Oscar's dad, Riley, ran from the dugout. His mom, Sarah, called 911 as she ran from the stands. She went into "nurse mode," pushing hard and fast in the center of his chest. First responders got his heart beating, but Oscar's prognosis depended on how long his brain had gone without oxygen.
Two days later, Oscar woke up. Today he's safe and healthy.
"We were so lucky," Sarah said.
The Stuebes have made it their mission to talk to anyone who will listen about the importance of CPR. "Know how and when to do CPR, and don't be afraid to use it," Riley said. "Hopefully you'll never have to, but if you do, you can save someone's life."
Find a CPR class today at http://spr.ly/618220714.
