Utah State University
basketball player Danny Berger was the featured speaker at a Latter-day Saint
Student Association Religion in Life devotional on Friday in Logan.
Berger, who suffered sudden
cardiac arrest during a Dec. 4, 2012 basketball practice and was resuscitated following
the use of an automated external defibrillator, spoke about his experience and
how it has influenced his faith.
According to the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, 92 percent of sudden cardiac arrest incidents
that occur outside of a hospital prove to be fatal.
Berger, a member of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, believes God was watching over him
throughout the experience — and detailed specific “miracles” he believes led to
his survival on the court that day.
Trainer Mike Williams was
watching the practice closely and rushed onto the court as soon as Berger went
down. Knowing what to do, he quickly began to administer CPR.
“It was a pretty solemn
mood; everyone was pretty scared,” said senior guard Sean Harris, who was at
practice the day Berger collapsed. “You don’t really ever see that so we were
just kind of worried and hoping that everything would end up fine, that he would
stay alive and that he would play basketball again.”
The defibrillator used to
revive Berger was not in its usual spot that day, but Berger’s roommate, who
attended practice, knew exactly where it was.
The ambulance arrived within
a few minutes of receiving the call that Berger had gone down. Life Flight was
contacted and rushed him to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, where a
defibrillator was surgically implanted into his chest.
Berger said he felt overwhelming
love from friends and family members during his recovery.
“I had thousands of people
contacting me concerned about my well-being,” Berger said. “It was unbelievable
how much love I felt.”
Following Berger’s incident,
Utah State football team members wore a sticker on their helmets bearing
Berger’s number 12 and his initials. Many students also wrote letters wishing
him a fast recovery, which was the act of love he remembers the most.
Harris said that Berger’s
attitude on the court has not changed since the accident.
“He’s the same guy, and
still a fierce competitor on the basketball court,” Harris said. “He’s not
afraid at all. He‘s not afraid of getting hit in the chest or anything.”
According to Harris the team
feels like this experience has brought them even closer together.
“When he went down we all
had like a little prayer as a team,” he said. “Things like that definitely make
you grow close together as a team.”
Berger said he has a different
attitude now about how fragile life is, and said this experience has brought
his family closer together.
“A lot of people talk
to me and look at what happened as a huge burden, and a huge trial that’s been
in my life,” Berger said. “There comes a time when trials and burdens become
blessings, and this has been a huge blessing for me and my family.”
Berger’s speech came 10 days
after a similar incident involving Zach Cooper, a sophomore at Elgin Community
College in Illinois. Cooper, like Berger, recovered following the on-court use
of an automated external defibrillator.
The American Heart
Association tracked athlete deaths from 2004-2008 and found that about 56
percent of all student athlete deaths were cardiovascular related.
Alex Bennett, Morgan
Klinkowski, Madison Eves, Sam Emmett, Emily Duke and Justin Anderson
contributed to this report.
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