In the world of competitive sports, life threatening injuries are not uncommon. However, most of the time, these are caused by incidents that occur in the game itself, such as collisions or fouls, most things that the on site medical crew are well versed in. However, sometimes, there occurs a rare instance where other ailments can act up at the worst time, i.e., in the middle of a match.
Additionally, because of the intense nature of the sporting environment, it is not uncommon for heart attacks to occur mid game. Especially with soccer players, as can be seen in the case of Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen who collapsed midfield during a 2020 Euro Cup game, and English soccer player Fabrice Ndala Muamba who collapsed during an FA cup match in 2012. Most recently, it was Savy King, who plays for Angel’s City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. Luckily, all these players were revived, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that these are dangerous instances that require immediate medical attention, as Savy King pointed out.
Savy King’s collapse occurred in May of this year when Angel’s City FC was playing against the Utah Royals in their home stadium. She fell down in the middle of the match and doesn’t recall much of the moment. King said in a recent interview with Good Morning America, “There isn’t a lot that I remember, but I remember I wasn’t feeling right and then I remember I grabbed my leg because I was trying to distract myself from the fact that I felt I was going to pass out and then I remember the medical staff coming onto the field.” King went on to stress the role of the medical staff, her gratitude to them and the importance of knowing CPR, “Anything can happen at any time, so just knowing how to do CPR is super important because it can save a life, and it saved my life.” King said.
Credits – Instagram @savymking
Dr. Richard Kim, King’s doctor spoke about how the “first responders on the field did a fantastic job of resuscitating her before there was permanent damage.” In the same interview, members of the Angel’s City medical staff spoke about their immediate approach to the situation, “we made the decisions to start chest compressions, while the AED was getting applied,” one said while another added a comment about their gratitude for the timing and location of the incident saying, “to happen on that night in our home stadium where we had our entire medical team there it was an incredible work of the group and the timing that that actually happened to be able to have the outcome that we had.” Savy King herself has made her feelings for the medical team very clear, “They saved my life” she has said on multiple occasions of the team.
How Savy King is changing the world of soccer on and off the field
Unbeknownst to Savy King who had to go into heart surgery soon after the collapse, the incident sparked outrage in the soccer community. Though Savy was on the ground and received medical attention on the field for around 10 minutes, the game continued till the last minute once she was carried off. The National Women’s Soccer League Player’s Association took immediate issue with this and prompted the soccer league to launch a probe into the incident so as to avoid future repeats of the same.
The Association further issues a statement that read, “Incidents of this severity must prioritize our collective humanity and should automatically trigger suspension of the match. The Players Association is committed to making this the standard in NWSL,” This swift critique garnered much attention from the soccer community and fans, and the speed at which the association got the league to respond was encouraging! So Savy King’s collapse has already lead to a change in the narrative in women’s sports, but what about her personal journey?
Savy King had a life saving surgery soon after the collapse to address the abnormality in her heart that led to the incident in the first place. King is now on the road to recovery and though she hasn’t yet been cleared to play, her doctors are certain it’s just a matter of time. Savy has in turn said “I can almost be a Savy 2.0 now, I’ll be back and better than ever.” of her eventual return.
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