Minnesota Teen Saves Collapsed Official

By Cassie Krisher

Fridley (Minnesota) High School junior Lindsey Paradise leaped into action at a boys basketball game on December 13, 2007, when she saw official Dale Wakasugi collapsed on the floor.

He was suffering a heart attack.

While most spectators' attention was turned to the players at one end of the court, Paradise's mom saw Wakasugi fall to the ground at the other end. Paradise, who participates in softball, cheerleading and weight training, heard her mom gasp and immediately ran down the bleachers on an instinct that something was wrong.

"I saw him convulsing as I was running down, but I knew you weren't supposed to touch someone having a seizure," she said. "I grabbed his head to stop it from hitting the ground."

Three more spectators - two nurses and a man from the opposing team - came to Wakasugi's aid. With their help, Paradise started to put her CPR training to use. She had received CPR and automatic external defibrillator (AED) training a month earlier as part of her physical education class.

She kept his airway open during CPR, but he still wasn't responding after four rounds. That's when someone brought a nearby AED to the court. AEDs detect whether a heartbeat is present and, if necessary, administer a shock to the heart to get it beating on its own again.

Paradise and the other Good Samaritans listened to the automated instructions and administered a shock the second time through.

"He started breathing, and the paramedics came and gave him oxygen," she said. "He was responding in the ambulance."

Doctors at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids put three stents in Wakasugi's artery to prevent another blockage. Doctors told him that CPR alone would not have been enough to save his life.

Unfortunately, Wakasugi suffered another heart attack on December 18 and was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul. The original stents had clotted, which is very rare. He was sent back into surgery, where doctors implanted two more stents to keep his artery open.

A week later, doctors were still concerned about the possibility of another heart attack and sent him back into surgery, this time to install a Medtronic pacemaker/defibrillator. In the event that his heart ever stops again, the device will send a shock to his heart.

Wakasugi was released from St. Joseph's on Christmas Day. He started a rehabilitation regimen that includes proper diet and careful exercise to keep his heart in good condition. The continual activity involved with officiating helps to keep him healthy.

Paradise and Wakasugi have kept in touch since the incident. She visited him in the hospital, and she recently went to his house for dinner.

"I got to know his family, and he showed me where they put the pacemaker," Paradise said.
Wakasugi was able to return to his referee position at a basketball game on January 26.

"Everyone's been talking about how I saved his life, but the others who were there deserve a lot of recognition, too," Paradise said.

Along with Paradise, the under-credited lifesavers who rushed to Wakasugi's side on the basketball court that December night were finally recognized for going beyond their everyday jobs. At the February 19 Fridley girls basketball game against Totino-Grace, Wakasugi and his family thanked everyone who came to his rescue that night. Wakasugi, now known as "Lazarus the Referee," officiated the game.

"Everyone's always watching what's going on in the field or on the court, but no one's ever really paying attention to the officials or coaches," she said. "I just try to keep an extra eye out for the referee now."

Cassie Krisher is a spring semester intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications  Department. She is a senior at Butler (Indiana) University, majoring in journalism and media arts.