A Texas high school community is mourning the heartbreaking death of a 17-year-old football player who suffered a medical emergency during practice just days before the start of his senior year.
Odin Hensley, a senior at Lake Travis High School in Austin, died after suffering cardiac arrest during football practice on Monday, Aug. 10, according to a GoFundMe created to support his family.
The teen was rushed by emergency helicopter to Dell Children’s Medical Center as coaches, athletic trainers and first responders desperately worked to save him.
Three days later, Lake Travis ISD Superintendent Curtis Null announced that Hensley had died from complications related to the medical emergency.
“It is with profound sadness that we share that Lake Travis High School senior Odin Hensley has passed away as a result of complications from a medical emergency he experienced during football practice earlier this week,” Null wrote in a letter to families Thursday, Aug. 13.
Hensley had been part of the Lake Travis school community since he was a young child, beginning at Lake Pointe Elementary School.
By high school, he had become a dedicated two-sport athlete who competed in both football and wrestling.
“His teachers and coaches remember Odin as a kind, determined young man who was a valued teammate, classmate, and friend,” Null wrote. “His presence touched many lives, and he will be deeply missed.”
One parent who said he witnessed the emergency unfold described the terrifying scene and praised the rapid response from coaches, trainers and emergency crews.
“I was there. I witnessed it firsthand,” Lake Travis parent Greg Gold wrote on Facebook Monday.
Gold said the coaching staff quickly moved the other players away from the scene in an effort to prevent further panic while Hensley was surrounded by medical personnel.
“At the same time, the young man in need was immediately surrounded by [Lake Travis] staff and EMS professionals, with all hands on deck doing everything possible to protect him, care for him, and give him the attention he needed,” Gold wrote.
He said those responding remained remarkably calm during an extraordinarily difficult situation.
“As someone who was THERE and witnessed this firsthand, not someone speaking from hearsay, I have the utmost respect and appreciation for every individual who stepped up during today’s emergency,” he added.
Gold said the tragedy was a painful reminder of just how much responsibility high school coaches and athletic trainers carry when parents entrust them with their children.
“We trust these coaches and trainers with our children every day,” he wrote. “Today was a powerful reminder that their responsibility goes far beyond football.”
“In a moment when one of our boys needed them most, they responded with urgency, professionalism, compassion, and incredible composure.”
A GoFundMe established for Hensley’s family had raised more than $155,000 by Thursday as friends, classmates and members of the community rallied around his loved ones.
Hensley was just 17 years old.