Coaches who helped save the life of a South Florida high school wrestler were honored Wednesday at a hospital ceremony.
Javon Alls, 17, almost died during a wrestling match at Miami Southridge Senior High School when his heart was in distress.
"I just remember putting on my shoes and that's the last thing I remember," All recalled Wednesday.
But his coaches acted quickly and were able to save his life in part by using the school's automated external defibrillator or AED machine to stabilize Alls' heart.
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"Having an AED that is able to be at the scene of any collapsed victim within minutes of the event is crucial," said Melissa Olen from Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami.
"To do what they did requires drills, required repetition, no less and even more than fire drills," cardiologist Dr. Ronald Kanter added.
Alls was diagnosed with a type of malfunction of the electrical activity of his heart and had an internal defibrillator and pacemaker implanted.
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The hospital gave out awards on Wednesday to Alls' athletic coaches and hosted a reunion between the family and medical staff.
Alls was a promising athlete. He was on the wrestling team and had received a few college scholarships even as a sophomore. But now his future has changed.
The doctors say Alls can't play sports anymore. His new plans include possibly becoming an athletic coach himself instead of actually playing sports.
He's since moved with his family to Claremont near Orlando but his coaches say Alls is still part of the team at Miami Southridge Senior High no matter what.
