LOS ANGELES -- It was the fourth quarter of a tie game at Freemont High School in Los Angeles last Friday night. Angela Gettis, a 16-year-old cheerleader, was doing her part to rally George Washington Preparatory High School football fans, when she suddenly collapsed and became lifeless.
The game stopped as coaches and trainers ran to help. Bystanders gave her CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive, but she died in the hospital about three hours later. Sudden Cardiac Arrest was the victor once again.
She was not alone. In addition to Angela, about 18 other apparently healthy young people across the U.S. also died from unexpected cardiac arrest last Friday.
School district Superintendent John Deasy said the girl was "a wonderful young lady. It is a catastrophic loss for the school and for the community. My heart goes out to her family."
Gettis was a good student, said officials at the inner-city school in a rough area of Los Angeles. She planned to attend college and wanted to major in forensic science, according to school principal Todd Ullah. At least two tribute pages memorializing the teen popped up on Facebook as news of her death spread.
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