The Life You Save

The Life You Save

It was a normal Saturday in a seemingly unnormal world.

UMass Dartmouth Head Baseball Coach Bob Prince made the drive from the South Coast to State College, Pennsylvania with his son Harry over Super Bowl weekend for what has always been a seemingly normal activity. It was something the Prince family had done so many times without giving it a second thought—packing up the car for two days of AAU basketball.

Harry and his sixth grade teammates on the Expressions were together once again for a tournament that, for a few fleeting hours, restored some semblance of normalcy to their young lives. The Expressions would compete against other squads from across the region, including a matinee matchup with the Ivy Lions from Westchester, New York.

"It was just a chance for everyone to see their kids play," Bob Prince said.

What happened next was anything but normal. Far from it.

When Harry Met Donte

Barbara Palmer-Greene and her husband Artie had also made the trek to State College from Westchester County to watch their son Donte play. They took in the action in a socially distant atmosphere not too far from where Bob Prince was sitting. As the game began and progressed, Harry Prince and Donte Greene ended up guarding each other.

"They were going at it pretty good," Bob said. "It was a good game between two very good teams."

Like any other contest, the action was fast and intense. But in an unimaginable instant, everything stopped.

Donte suddenly fell to the floor. Maybe he cramped up. Maybe he had the wind knocked out of him. Maybe he had pulled a muscle while hustling back.

All normal thoughts you'd have about a 12-year-old boy playing the game of basketball.

Heart arrhythmia was the farthest thing from anyone's mind. Bob's. Barbara's. Artie's. Harry's. Anyone.

If the condition sounds familiar, it is one that has tragically taken the lives of other basketball athletes such as former Loyola Marymount All-American Hank Gathers, far too early. It is sometimes undetected until it's too late.

"I knew something was wrong—very wrong," Barbara Greene said. "Donte wasn't moving."

Barbara rushed to his side with coaches and others checking to see if he was OK.

He wasn't. Donte's heart had stopped beating. He lay on the court unconscious.

What If It Was My Son Lying There?

The fast-paced frenzy of the previous minute had given way to slow motion. Donte required immediate medical attention. The situation couldn't have been more dire. The life of a 12-year-old boy was in the balance.

Barbara Greene frantically asked if anyone in the stands was a doctor or could perform CPR.

Bob Prince quickly said yes.

As someone who is surrounded by 18-to-22 year-old college student-athletes every day, his job required it. The long hours of practice, competition and travel can create situations where CPR training may be needed on the baseball diamond.

Little did he know it would be needed on a basketball court in State College, Pennsylvania.

Bob went to Donte's side along with Dr. Alicia Morgan, another parent in attendance, and began administering the CPR skill set he had been taught by UMass Dartmouth Assistant Athletic Trainer Dan Guertin. He performed chest compressions and checked Donte's breathing for several minutes.

Donte remained motionless.

An AED device was in the facility and rushed to the scene. Bob administered an AED shock. And another.

Donte remained motionless. His head was tilted to the side, his eyes not moving and fixed at Bob's gaze. No pulse. No heartbeat.

"At that moment, all I could think of was what if this was my son," Bob said.

But he continued with CPR. The minutes seemed like hours as paramedics arrived. Another AED shock was administered.

Just about 10 minutes after he fell to the floor, Donte Greene had life.

A faint pulse was detected. Erratic breathing. Though he wasn't out of the woods, Donte was alive. He was taken by paramedics to a local hospital in critical condition. But he was alive.

"If Bob and Dr. Morgan hadn't been there, my son would be gone," Barbara Greene said from her home as she watched Donte in the other room doing what almost every 12-year-old enjoys—playing video games. "It just proves that everything happens for a reason."

As day turned to night in State College, Bob and Harry Prince went to their car for the drive back to the hotel. Harry sat in the back and sensed something was wrong with his father.

"He looked at me and asked if I was OK," Bob said.

And then Bob Prince broke down. As he sat in the driver's seat letting loose of emotions that had built up during 10 of the most traumatic minutes of his life, he asked himself the same question repeatedly.

"What if it was my son lying there?"

I Could Hear Dan's Voice

Through the fog of slow motion and constant movement as he was performing CPR, Bob was able to hear one thing loud and clear—Dan Guertin's voice. He recalled the step-by-step instruction that had been expertly delivered during his training.

"I could hear Dan telling me exactly what to do," Bob said. "It provided calmness as I was going through each step of the procedure. That's a credit to his detail and professionalism."

Guertin and Prince spoke after the incident, and the veteran athletic trainer told his coach how proud he was of him.

"You never know when or if you'll ever need to use CPR training, but it's something that everyone should learn," Guertin said. "The time that Bob and all of our coaches take to be trained can save a life. It turned out that was exactly the case. I told him how proud I was of him in a situation you can prepare for but never anticipate."

"This isn't about me or anything that I did," Bob said. "It's about learning something that can save a life. It could be a loved one or a total stranger. The time commitment is well worth the reward. I can't strongly recommend enough for everyone to get CPR training as quickly and as often as they can."

Even in a pandemic, CPR training is readily available to the general public. Many towns offer classes taught by first responders, so local fire and police departments are great resources. The American Red Cross also offers CPR instruction, and more information can be accessed at redcross.org.

A Story With A Happy Ending

Donte was eventually airlifted to a hospital in Pittsburgh, where he improved gradually and his heart arrythmia was detected and diagnosed. He's returned to somewhat normal activities, as his video game prowess proves.

After venturing back to Massachusetts, Bob and Harry began searching online for a way to contact Donte and his family. After he was transported from the site, the Princes received no updates on his condition. Fortunately, Bob had an expert in the family who turned into an internet super sleuth—Harry.

"I mean, what 12-year-old kid isn't on Instagram?

Harry was able to find information on Donte's team, and in a few days Bob was able to make contact with Barbara. He spoke later with Donte and Artie, and both families continue to communicate as Donte makes a full recovery.

As Barbara watches her son from the next room, she is grateful it's a story with a happy ending.

"As a parent, you always worry about your kids, but you never think something like this could ever happen," she said. "It could have turned out so differently. CPR saved my son's life. Everyone should learn it—I can't say that enough."

The Return

Bob and Harry Prince were back in State College last weekend for another AAU tournament. The games were exciting, the action was fast paced, and the time shared between families was enjoyed.

"So many things flashed in my mind as I thought back to something that seems like it happened ages ago, but really was just like yesterday," Bob said.

There were undoubtedly emotions from their last visit that still bubbled on the surface. But when the ball went up for the first time, Bob was just another parent having the chance to see his son play the game he loves.

Everything was seemingly normal.

And for Bob Prince, that was just fine.