Sophomore Aaron Myers collapsed on basketball court by Fields and Schoenfeldt halls Friday
Sophomore Aaron Myers is in serious condition at Emanuel Hospital. (Kevin Kadooka | The Beacon)
By Laura Frazier, Features Editor -- frazier13@up.edu
Sophomore Aaron Myers, who collapsed on the basketball court in front of Fields and Schoenfeldt halls Friday afternoon, remained in serious condition late Wednesday, according to an Emanuel Hospital spokesperson.
Tonight, Campus Ministry will hold a candlelight vigil to pray for him.
According to Ron Rouse, an assistant public information officer for Portland Fire and Rescue, a public safety officer responded first when Myers collapsed at approximately 3:30 p.m. Friday.
"One of the Public Safety people were trying to do CPR when the fire department got there," Rouse said.
According to Paul Corah, another Portland Fire and Rescue spokesperson, the EMTs (emergency medical technicians) worked on Myers for 35 minutes before getting a heartbeat. The EMTs used a defibrillator to shock Myers' heart, alternating the shocks with rounds of CPR. On the sixth shock, the EMTs detected a heartbeat.
An ambulance then rushed Myers to Emanuel Hospital.
By Monday, doctors upgraded Myers' condition from critical to serious.
Because of privacy regulations in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Emanuel Hospital cannot release further details about Myers' medical state.
Rouse said Myers, 20, had no pre-existing medical conditions.
Sophomore Sierra Bray was working at the front desk of Fields and Schoenfeldt when Myers headed outside.
"I said hi to him on his way out the door," Bray said. "He seemed just like every other day."
Not soon after, Bray heard that someone collapsed and assumed it was due to dehydration. Then the ambulance arrived.
"I saw the EMTs come up and I knew it was something more serious," Bray said. "Then someone said it was Aaron and my heart sank."
Witnesses said Myers had not yet started playing basketball when he collapsed.
Junior Laura Schrader said the crowd was confused and concerned as the EMTs continued to work on Myers.
"Everyone was like 'OK when is this going to end? Is he going to live?'" Schrader said.
Schoenfeldt Hall Director Alex Hermanny ran outside as soon as he saw the ambulance drive past. He helped to clear the area surrounding the court.
"We had to disperse that crowd so he (Myers) could have some privacy in the moments of being cared for," Hermanny said.
Saturday morning, more than two dozen people attended a Mass for Myers in Fields and Schoenfeldt halls.
Friends of Myers, a mechanical engineering major from the Seattle - Tacoma area, have been posting messages of hope and prayer on his facebook wall.
"Hang in there man," sophomore Kyle DeFrancia posted. "My family and I are praying for you."
Hermanny encourages people to pray for Myers and his family, but also for the UP community as a whole.
"People are concerned because they know one of their brothers isn't well," Hermanny said. "Whenever there's a member of our community that's hurting, we want to pray for him to heal."
Bray said it's been hard in Fields and Schoenfeldt.
"He's one of my favorite people to come in because he takes the time to stop and listen," Bray said. "Everyone really cares about him."
