Kevin P. Chavous: College Readiness Is More Than Academics
Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods was stricken by the sudden death of his teenage son this week, when he collapsed and died of an asthma attack. Elbert Jovante Woods, a 16-year old football player, died Saturday night at a hospital in Cincinnati.
Elbert was set to start at cornerback for the varsity football team at his high school this season. He collapsed after practice on Wednesday, and was taken to the hospital. His brain went 30 minutes without oxygen before he died.
Ickey Woods was a star for the Bengals during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was known for the "Ickey Shuffle," a dance he would do to celebrate touchdowns.
The Athletic Director of the Princeton School District, Greg Kaufman, had this to say: "As I left the hospital, Jovante's mom and dad both said that 'God has a plan.' They are both pillars of strength for their family and friends. The Woods family is sincerely grateful for the love, support and prayers that everyone has shown them during Jovante's battle."
The death of Elbert Jovante Woods makes me wonder just how safe our young men and women are when playing high school sports. I can remember competing in track and field, where it was common for athletes to vomit after practice, become short of breath and even work out to the point of nearly collapsing. Most of us defined this stress to simply be a part of getting into shape, but I've always wondered whether most coaches are equipped to know when a hard workout has become a health hazard.
How do we know the difference between a kid who's simply whining about a tough practice vs. one who is actually experiencing serious physical problems? I honestly don't know the answer to this question, but it is certainly something to think about.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the Athlete Liberation and Academic Reform Movement (ALARM). To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (16)
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By: tennwilliams on 8/16/2010 1:57PM
first off: spammers you suck! go get a real job.
Second my heart goes out to the Woods family.
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By: Nancy Sander on 8/20/2010 4:30PM
Dr. Watkins, Thank you for your thoughtful commentary about "just how safe our young men and women are when playing high school sports."
Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics is concerned too, not because people knowingly reject good safety measures but primarily because asthma is an insidious and deceptive disease in which early perception, recognition and response are critically important and easy to miss!
Most asthma deaths can be traced to preventable causes (as in more than one, otherwise known as a perfect storm). For example, was Jovante inhaler empty? Few people ask this question and even fewer know that inhalers run out of medication before they run out of the propellant. So the inhaler doesn’t feel empty when in reality, it is. That's why our organization successfully lobbied FDA to advise manufacturers to place dose counters on metered dose inhalers and this technology is currently being phased in.
Another mistake comes with being young and invincible and thinking that you haven't pushed yourself hard enough unless you are breathless or throwing up on the football practice field. These long-held stoic but faulty beliefs put our young athletes at risk of fatal respiratory, cardiac and neurologic events.
Each fatal asthma attack can teach all of us something if we pause and honestly explore what went into that perfect storm which brewed silently in the minutes, hours, days and even weeks before. Easy said and terrifying to do. Which is why it doesn’t happen. What happened before matters - it may have been one event that pushed Jovante over the edge, but it was not just one event that got him - or anyone who dies of asthma - there.
AANMA is on a mission to ensure every child and adult receives asthma care consistent with National Institutes of Health Asthma Guidelines.
AANMA’s www.GreatAmericanAsthmaChallenge.org asks every person to do their part – it’s easier than you think – to bring our nation to zero asthma deaths and improve quality of life along the way! All it takes is one person, family, and community taking simple steps together.
AANMA and the newly formed Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus will meet on September 21 to examine life and death asthma issues and ways to ensure that all children and adults with asthma know what to expect and how to obtain appropriate care and written strategies that work for each child and family.
In addition, we recently developed and conducted Express Seminars on Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm for School Nurses at the National Association of School Nurses sponsored by Teva Respiratory. In coming weeks, a highlights video and resource materials will be posted to YouTube.
We are also forming a coalition of school nurses, coaches, parents, teachers and school administrators to define evidence-based best practices for recognizing and treating serious respiratory issues relative to school-based sports and exercise programs.
Finally, a shout out to Chris Draft, Anthony Armstrong and Adam Carriker of the Washington Redskins! All three have asthma and Anthony caught and carried the first touchdown of the season - and yes, I know it is "only" the preseason but for diehard fans like me, well the season is ON!
Winning over asthma is very much like winning a football game. You have got to know where the goal is and have/execute a plan that is going to get you there. No one does it alone - it takes a team.
Dr. Watkins, thank you for asking the right question. Now let’s look for the right answers. Jovante's death is not in vain if we learn something from it. May God grant peace to those who love him and may their hearts be filled with fond memories that never fade.
Nancy Sander
President and Founder
Allergy & Asthma Network
Mothers of Asthmatics
800-878-4403
www.aanma.org
www.facebook.com/aanma
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