"On August 8, 1985, somewhere between 11:00 and 11:10 p.m. EST, the path of my life unfurled in front of me. I have nearly no memory of approximately 6 hours of my life, while I was in a coma, due to the severe exertional heat stroke."
In the foreword to the groundbreaking new text, Preventing Sudden Death in Sport and Physical Activity, Doug Casa tells the amazing story behind his quest to prevent sudden death in sport.
The Confluence of Conspiring Factors
Kent Scriber, EdD, ATC, PT
Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences
Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York
"Almost every year since the early 1980s, I have served as a volunteer athletic trainer for the New York State Empire State Games (ESG). These annual Games, generally held in late July, serve as a statewide Olympic-type event for several thousand amateur athletes. I was assigned as the head athletic trainer for Athletics (track and field) during the 1985 Empire State Games that were held in Buffalo, New York. Although this was quite some time ago, I vividly recall a frightening life-threatening scenario that has had a tremendous impact on me in many ways.
