People have good hearts, particularly on our level.
It can be easy to forget when realizing even the side streets in your neighborhood have somehow become the autobahn. Or seeing supposed teammates in Olympic skating treat each other with the disdain of arch-enemies in vintage action comics. Or feeling perplexed – and seemingly alone – when trying to understand the appeal of “American Idol.”
I could go on, but there’s something about people’s tickers that, thankfully, drive the human spirit in the super fast lane of compassion when under duress.
It was on display a week ago. Of course, it occurred unannounced. Tom Young, Bishop Machebeuf boys basketball junior varsity coach, collapsed on the sideline during a season-ending game at Kent Denver in Cherry Hills Village. It was the fourth quarter in every sense – those who rushed to his aid thought they had lost Young twice as they frantically worked to revive him and sweated through the agonizing eternity everyone seems to go through while waiting until EMTs are able to arrive.
The genuine concern was amazing to see. Rows of stands suddenly turned into church pews: “Hail Mary, full of grace …”
Surrounding silence, not the expected cheers, chants and squeaking sneakers during a game, was deafening. Those on hand could hear the automated instructions being played from the portable defibrillator among sniffles from adults, Buffaloes players pleading for their coach to come out of it (Come on, Coach! Come on!) and others so frustrated and upset that they worried about which door the EMTs would enter.
Young’s wife, Joanne, was dutifully strong. How she was able to stand just a few feet away and watch helplessly as others tried to save her husband’s life is a tribute to her resolve, stamina and love for her husband.
Happenstance had at least one other role. No doctor was on hand, but Jonathan Branch was. He was there to watch his son, Nick Branch, a junior for Bishop Machebeuf. The elder Branch had recently arrived from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he’s a nurse and has dealt with casualties who fought in Iraq.
Medical personnel, which, like Branch, were fast, efficient and professional, stabilized Young and took him to Swedish Hospital, but the caring didn’t stop. Branch must have gotten several dozen well-wishes. “Thank you” were the two most popular words in Kent’s Black Field House for at least 20 minutes. It didn’t matter Young’s condition was unknown. The display of help and doing what they could was enough.
Ultimately, Young was alert that night. He even cracked a joke about wanting to retire and staying one game too long, according to Kent Denver coach Todd Schayes, one of the many who were compelled to head to Swedish that night. Buffs varsity coach Mike Augustine got into the act, too, disclosing that he “fired” Young for his display.
Young didn’t have a heart attack. Actually, his heart, like so many others around him at his time of need, was fine. But there was a problem involving his brain not sending proper electrical impulses to make it work. He had a device implanted and was home resting at mid-week.
An open invitation to Young remains for the rest of Bishop Machebeuf’s season, which involves district play into the weekend, then a berth in next week’s 32-team Class 3A state bracket.
But the memory of his unfortunate incident will last years for so many others, particularly for young people who saw once again real life meet high school sports. And they handled it.
Matchups and outcomes weren’t important the next day, despite district play looming; the junior varsity game was canceled and the varsity chose not to make up its finale. Instead, Bishop Machebeuf officials spent quality time with players on the team, discussing what they saw and how they felt about it.
It sure beat layup drills or practicing free throws.
The what-ifs subsided, too, as in what if Young would have had his bout while on the team bus? What if Kent Denver hadn’t spent thousands on the portable defibrillator? What if Branch hadn’t been in the stands?
“It was a tough deal,” Augustine said.
Not tough enough to stop people’s good hearts in Colorado high school sports.
Staff writer Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-820-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
