‘I Feel Blessed’: Teen Soccer Player Recovers After Cardiac Arrest at Futsal Tournament

Angela Seshadri, a pediatric cardiologist who was seated in the stands waiting to watch her own son play, noticed a commotion on the court and immediately rushed down from the upper balcony.

“He was sitting on the bench and he fell forward, and to me, as a cardiologist, that did not sit right,” she said.

As his condition rapidly worsened, Abdulla stopped breathing and began to turn blue.

“I kept my hand on his wrist, feeling for a pulse, and then suddenly he stopped breathing and turned blue,” Seshadri explained. “So I laid him on his back and started CPR.”

CPR and AED Made the Difference

While CPR was underway, the team’s coach called 911 and other bystanders hurried to locate an automated external defibrillator (AED). Paramedics later confirmed that Abdulla regained consciousness while being transported to hospital.

Emergency responders emphasized that immediate CPR followed by AED use was critical to saving his life. Without that rapid response, the outcome could have been very different.

This incident highlights why learning CPR and AED skills is so important. Programs like CPR and AED training courses offered by Winnipeg First Aid help prepare everyday people to act quickly and confidently when seconds matter most. 

‘They Saved My Son’

Abdulla’s father, Sulimen El-Astal, said he and his wife were both at work during the tournament. Hearing how quickly strangers stepped in to help their son left him overwhelmed with gratitude.

“They saved my son,” he said. “I can’t explain my feelings. I can’t.”