Anderson athlete collapses during track and field practice

An unnamed 17 year-old female from Anderson Union High School collapsed Thursday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. in the football stadium. The athlete was participating in track and field practice when she collapsed.

According to radio reports from ShasCom, the young girl had been feeling faint most of the day.

According to Robert Bilodeaux, the female athlete was unconscious for a short time because she was unresponsive when they were asking her to open her eyes and she was breathing the entire time. Anderson Fire Department responded to the call.

She had given blood earlier that day and didn’t have enough to eat or drink after, said Bliodeaux. The young girl’s mother was at the practice and followed her to Mercy as a precautionary measure.

According to Scott Booth, principal of Anderson High School, he couldn’t go into detail about the incident, but did say everything is fine.

“We did have a two-day blood drive, which many of our students participated in. A great cause and just one example of many on how our students give back to our community in a special way. Measures have been taken to ensure the safety of all students who donate blood,” said Booth in an email.

He listed three steps that are taken whenever students donate blood to ensure their safety. First the Blood Center personnel, following the donation, monitors the students who give blood. Second, students who donate blood are instructed on what kinds of activities they should participate in for 24 hours following blood donation. Third, all of the Anderson coaches “have gone through a certification/education course which details” what to do in emergency-type situations, “how to avoid them and emergency-response for the student-athlete.”

Booth also wrote in his e-mail, “We are reviewing this incident (as we do all incidents of this nature) and will seek to bolster our precautions.”