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Salem youth’s death after football apparently due to asthma
Counselors and pastors were at the school Tuesday to help students affected by the death.
HANOVERTON — Parents of a young athlete hope their son’s death will help others live on.
Gavin Ward, 12, son of Mike and Denise Ward of Salem, died about 8 p.m. Monday after an apparent asthma attack after football practice at United School District’s K-12 building.
His mother said Tuesday that doctors in Cleveland were able to harvest portions of his body that will be transplanted to help others.
Gavin would have been a seventh-grader this fall. The Wards also have a young daughter.
Mike teaches health and business classes, and Denise teaches Spanish and senior home economics.
Mike and Gavin were leaving the grounds of the school building Monday after practice for the junior high football team when Gavin had an asthma attack.
Denise said his inhaler did not work.
“Gavin said, ‘Dad, I’m in trouble,’” she said.
Denise said that Mike got the nebulizer machine, which uses compressed air to deliver asthma medicine. It initially appeared to help, but then Gavin became unconscious.
Mike called for help and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Gavin was rushed to Salem Community Hospital but was unable to be resuscitated. A formal ruling on his death is pending.
Denise said that Gavin’s internal organs could not be donated, but his corneas, arm and leg bones and his skin will be used in transplants.
Superintendent RuthAnn Rinto said she could not comment because of privacy laws.
But she did say that when it came to dealing with the emergency, “Every procedure was followed.”
No student can participate in sports without a doctor’s examination. Those rules, which the district follows, are set by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Bob Goldring, an associate commissioner at the OHSAA, said there are a few deaths of athletes in Ohio every year.
“Our hearts go out to the family and community,” he added.
The district is looking at how it can help the students and the community deal with the loss.
Counselors and ministers were at the school Tuesday to help students deal with Gavin’s death.
Denise said a memorial program will be at the school Friday, but the time has not been set.
She added that the kids in their neighborhood also want to have a candlelight vigil for their friend.
Gavin’s medical problems were also part of a story in USA Today in 2005 that examined problems with medical care in some public schools.
The story recounted how Gavin, who was then in the Salem schools, had to wait in the care of a secretary while the district nurse sped to his school and helped him with the aid of a nebulizer machine.
The Salem Board of Education later improved its procedures.
The couple eventually transferred Gavin to United.
wilkinson@vindy.com