Athletic Trainer Saves Ref After On-Field Heart Attack

An athletic trainer in Massachusetts responded quickly after a high school soccer referee suffered a heart attack Tuesday.

According to Boston 25 News, Hanover High School athletic trainer Amy Tessitore was on the sidelines when the referee collapsed on-field during a game. Tessitore ran onto the field while the police were called and a player’s father grabbed a nearby AED.

“I started care on him immediately and then directed other people to get 911 activated, get the AED and get everything kind of set up to do what we needed to do,” Tessitore said, according to Boston 25.

The ref’s pulse didn’t restart until Tessitore used the defibrillator, which reached her within a minute according to The Patriot Ledger. The official was taken to the hospital, the game restarted and the ref’s family eventually contacted the school to let them know he was doing well.

“That’s all I could hope for,” Tessitore said. “He’s a father, he’s a well respected member of our officials. I’m thankful that I was there, so proud that my training allowed me to be there for something like this. And it was wonderful to see everyone around jump in. I couldn’t do it myself.”