Hamlet Nalbandyan
Glendale High School football player Jason Chamberlin's condition
has been upgraded from critical to good and could be released from
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in the next couple of days, hospital
officials said.
Chamberlin, a 280-pound offensive lineman for the Nitros,
collapsed during Wednesday morning's practice and was rushed to
Glendale Memorial Hospital before being transferred to Childrens
Hospital.
The 14-year-old sophomore was diagnosed with having heat stroke.
His body temperature was 107 degrees, and for much of the day
Wednesday, he was unconscious and breathing on a respirator.
"He was in quite a critical state," said Dr. Brigham Willis, who
treated Chamberlin. "At one point, he had stopped breathing. He's a
very lucky boy to be alive."
Chamberlin's condition began to improve late Wednesday. He was
taken off a respirator at around 11:30 p.m. and is now able respond
to questions and function normally, Willis said.
Heat stroke occurs when the body fails to regulate its own
temperature, causing the body's temperature to rise. It generally
develops when a person is working in hot weather.
Chamberlin collapsed during the first day of what is known as
"Hell Week," where players practice without pads and do only running
drills.
But what makes Chamberlin's case unique is that the temperature
Wednesday morning was in the mid-60s. However, you don't necessarily
have to have high temperatures to have heat stroke, Willis said.
"Each person's body reacts differently to extraneous exercise," he
said. "It's not exactly clear why [Chamberlin had heat stroke], but
he did."
Chamberlin's mother, Mia, also said that her son didn't have
enough water in his system, even though Glendale Coach Loi Phan gave
his players four water breaks during the two-hour workout.
"A lot of the players share water bottles, and that's what Jason
did," said Mia Chamberlin, who was on her way to Fresno when she
heard the news. "Jason is just exhausted right now, but he's getting
better. He can't wait to go back to the team."
