February 26, 2003
Albany- Three young Georgians died in just more than a week while playing sports. Tuesday, a Georgia Southwestern student collapsed during a pick-up basketball game.
Basketball and other sports are can help young people stay healthy, but you need to make sure your children are ready for the activity.
Pediatrician, Dr. Bruce Smith says, "You need to make sure your child is ready for everything in terms of sports."
Friends of twenty-one year old, Nyles Alford, never thought a pick-up basketball game would end tragically. While Alford was playing basketball with his friends, he fell face forward at center court and stopped breathing.
Johnathan Marshall says, "When he fell, we just knew something was wrong."
Dr. Bruce Smith say many deaths like Alfords' are due to undiagnosed heart conditions. He says others are hard to explain.
If a physical shows any medical abnormalities in your children, you need to take action immediately to make sure they stay healthy.
Just last week, a high school student in Bulloch County died during track practice, and an Alpharetta student died during a football workout.
Posted at 11:00PM by Jocelyn.Maner@walb.com
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