Patrick Plunkett Safety Education
Tax deductible
East Bay Youth Athletics
Patrick Plunkett Safety Equipment and Education Fund
Our Story:
On July 1st, 2017 Patrick Plunkett had a very close brush with death. At the Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth 12U All Stars South Florida State Championships Patrick Plunkett was pitching for the Ocala All Stars Team. The EBYA All Stars Team had just arrived at the park to get in some batting practice before their game began. Katie and Jay Patel, parents of Kamran Patel, were watching the game in progress and socializing with other parents and coaches. Patrick delivered a pitch and the batter hit a line drive back to the mound, striking Patrick in the chest. Katie looked up when she heard the thud…. Patrick was face down on the ground. The crowd waited a few seconds, as the ball was fielded, and the play ended, waiting for Patrick to get up, but he didn’t move. Coaches, Umpires, his mother, and a few bystanders ran to his side. Katie was the furthest away and arrived at the mound just as a coach was starting to perform CPR.
As a former ER/Trauma nurse Katie took over doing CPR and directed the others that had come to help on what they could do to support Patrick. After a brief time that felt like eternity, Patrick’s heart found its rhythm again, he took a breath, and then his eyes began to flutter open, and soon he was responding to his mom and fighting to get up. The ambulance arrived, and Patrick was transported to Shand’s Trauma Center in Gainesville.
During those few moments the lives of the Plunkett and Patel Families changed forever. The Plunkett’s started an awareness and education campaign in Ocala to raise awareness about sudden traumatic cardiac arrest and the importance of CPR training. They petitioned the Parks & Rec Dept. of the City of Ocala to purchase AEDs for all their baseball parks, and raised enough funds to provide CPR training for their baseball organization and the students of the high school the Plunkett’s attend for the next 10 years. The Plunkett's would also like to raise awareness about sudden traumatic cardiac arrest and the importance of CPR training in other areas including Hillsborough County at EBYA. Katie Patel ran for the Board of Directors of EBYA and was elected the Safety Officer. She has volunteered to become recertified as a CPR Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support instructor in order to provide training courses at EBYA, at Memorial Hospital of Tampa where she is employed, and throughout the community and organized youth sports safety programs to help raise awareness about the importance of CPR and concussion training and safety protocols.
To provide a safer environment for players, volunteers, and spectators at East Bay Youth Athletics Association Vance Vogel Park the EBYA is accepting donations to purchase emergency equipment such as additional AEDs, First Aid supplies, and a PA system for emergency communications, as our park has 8 fields and two concession stands, spanning 40 acres. We would like to provide free CPR Classes for players, parents, volunteers, managers, and coaches of the park. Add the Cardiac Wise online training for managers and coaches, set up a scholarship fund for future CPR training, and purchase protective equipment for pitchers and catchers to prevent similar events.
Thank you!
Patrick Plunkett Safety Equipment and Education Fund
Our Story:
On July 1st, 2017 Patrick Plunkett had a very close brush with death. At the Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth 12U All Stars South Florida State Championships Patrick Plunkett was pitching for the Ocala All Stars Team. The EBYA All Stars Team had just arrived at the park to get in some batting practice before their game began. Katie and Jay Patel, parents of Kamran Patel, were watching the game in progress and socializing with other parents and coaches. Patrick delivered a pitch and the batter hit a line drive back to the mound, striking Patrick in the chest. Katie looked up when she heard the thud…. Patrick was face down on the ground. The crowd waited a few seconds, as the ball was fielded, and the play ended, waiting for Patrick to get up, but he didn’t move. Coaches, Umpires, his mother, and a few bystanders ran to his side. Katie was the furthest away and arrived at the mound just as a coach was starting to perform CPR.
As a former ER/Trauma nurse Katie took over doing CPR and directed the others that had come to help on what they could do to support Patrick. After a brief time that felt like eternity, Patrick’s heart found its rhythm again, he took a breath, and then his eyes began to flutter open, and soon he was responding to his mom and fighting to get up. The ambulance arrived, and Patrick was transported to Shand’s Trauma Center in Gainesville.
During those few moments the lives of the Plunkett and Patel Families changed forever. The Plunkett’s started an awareness and education campaign in Ocala to raise awareness about sudden traumatic cardiac arrest and the importance of CPR training. They petitioned the Parks & Rec Dept. of the City of Ocala to purchase AEDs for all their baseball parks, and raised enough funds to provide CPR training for their baseball organization and the students of the high school the Plunkett’s attend for the next 10 years. The Plunkett's would also like to raise awareness about sudden traumatic cardiac arrest and the importance of CPR training in other areas including Hillsborough County at EBYA. Katie Patel ran for the Board of Directors of EBYA and was elected the Safety Officer. She has volunteered to become recertified as a CPR Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support instructor in order to provide training courses at EBYA, at Memorial Hospital of Tampa where she is employed, and throughout the community and organized youth sports safety programs to help raise awareness about the importance of CPR and concussion training and safety protocols.
To provide a safer environment for players, volunteers, and spectators at East Bay Youth Athletics Association Vance Vogel Park the EBYA is accepting donations to purchase emergency equipment such as additional AEDs, First Aid supplies, and a PA system for emergency communications, as our park has 8 fields and two concession stands, spanning 40 acres. We would like to provide free CPR Classes for players, parents, volunteers, managers, and coaches of the park. Add the Cardiac Wise online training for managers and coaches, set up a scholarship fund for future CPR training, and purchase protective equipment for pitchers and catchers to prevent similar events.
Thank you!
Organizer
East Bay Youth Athletics
Organizer
Gibsonton, FL
East Bay Youth Athletics
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
