He was 13 years old. He ran one lap at football practice and his heart stopped.
Caden Sorrell was an eighth-grader at Northwest Guilford Middle School in North Carolina. His family says he was seemingly healthy with no warning that anything was wrong.
On August 28, Caden went into sudden cardiac arrest during football practice.
Doctors fought desperately to save him using a heart pump, ECMO and life support but the damage was too severe.
Two days later, Caden was gone.
Doctors believe an underlying genetic condition may have played a role and his twin brother and 3 other siblings are being evaluated.
His family is now encouraging other parents to pay attention to cardiac screening, especially when there is a family history of heart problems.
And they’re asking people to remember something else:
“Live Like Caden.”
His family describes a boy who was kind, loving, funny and made the people around him feel like they mattered.
13 years old. A seemingly healthy kid who went to football practice and never came home.
Absolutely heartbreaking. 💔🙏🏻