Drake Williams, 16, was doing offense-to-defense transition drills with the rest of the Wharton High basketball team Saturday when he pitched forward near mid court.
Drake Williams the Survivor
Drake tried to get up once, then collapsed in a heap.
By the time Wharton coach Tommy Tonelli got to the junior forward’s side, Drake’s eyes had rolled back and he wasn’t breathing.
Tonelli said he started chest compressions, tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and switched back to chest compressions. It wasn’t working, so he asked junior Jonathan Torres to take over the CPR while he went to get the gym’s automatic external defibrillator.
Meanwhile, a teammate used Tonelli’s cell phone to call 911 and to try to call Drake’s parents, Darrell and Monzita Williams of New Tampa. Others dashed out of the gym in search of another coach.
In the parking lot, they found Tampa Fire Rescue paramedic Ryan Bradford and firefighter-paramedic Angelo Santos Martinez. They had just come to Wharton High to pick up fire Capt. Rick Chesser, who had dropped off an equipment truck for Badge Bowl VIII, a charity flag football game that would pit Tampa firefighters against police later that day.
They walked in as Tonelli prepared to use the automatic defibrillator. Drake was pale, had no pulse and wasn’t breathing. His limbs were limp, and his pupils didn’t react.
Within a minute, however, the paramedics had shocked Drake’s heart back to life. On the way to the hospital, he talked to rescuers.
“He wanted to get back up and go play basketball,” firefighter-emergency medical technician Frank Coto Jr. said.
By Tuesday, Drake welcomed the rescuers who saved his life during a visit in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit.
“I’m so happy to see that smiling face,” driver-engineer Mark Wengyn told Drake.
“I’m glad to be back,” Drake said. “Thank you for all that you did.”
