Wichita State freshman D.J. Bowles underwent surgery to have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) installed on Thursday at the Mayo Clinic, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall announced today.
The surgery was needed after Bowles collapsed Sept. 3 about 30 minutes into practice.
Marshall calls athletic trainer Todd Fagan "a hero" for his quick and effective response during Bowles' cardiac arrest event.
Fagan and the athletic training staff used an AED (automatic external defibrillator), and CPR, before emergency medical personnel arrived and Bowles was transported to the ER.
"I want to commend athletic trainer Todd Fagan, our athletic training staff, and emergency medical personnel, for quick and professional response exhibited in dealing with D.J.'s situation," said Wichita State Athletic Director Eric Sexton. "In addition, a thank you to our partner, Via Christi, for the care they provided, and to the doctors and staff at the Mayo Clinic who have been providing care to D.J. All of our thoughts go out to D.J., his family, and our men's basketball program."
Bowles is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound freshman guard from Chattanooga, Tenn., and played at Oldsmar Christian High School in Florida last season.
"This young man has spent his whole life trying to become a basketball player, and he is a really good player," Marshall said. "More importantly, he's a super nice kid from a great family. We're doing our due diligence to make sure we can best serve him for the rest of his life, not just his career."
SOURCE: Wichita State University