A high school freshman in Chicago tragically died after suffering a massive stroke during swim practice; he was just 14.
ABC7 reported that James Oliver, 14, who attended Geneva High School to the west of the city, collapsed at West Chicago High School on December 8.
The Geneva principal sent home a memo to parents confirming that Oliver had suffered from an arteriovenous malformation and brain hemorrhaging.
Oliver was in a critical condition before he died on December 17.
Principal Tom Rogers said:
“As a school community, our thoughts are with his brother, Sean, a GHS junior, his family and friends, and our hearts are mourning this loss.”
Breitbart notes, “AVM causes tangled blood vessels, which create issues between connected arteries and veins, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.”
“A neurosurgeon with the local Northwestern Medicine healthcare system explained that Oliver’s condition was very rare and usually congenital.”
“It’s thought that most AVMs are present from birth, and so we see a lot of AVMs either being diagnosed incidentally or being diagnosed because they bleed. We see a lot of that in children, and teenagers, and young adults,” Dr. Matthew Potts said.
“About half [of the] people diagnosed with AVM experience symptoms, while the other half don’t experience any symptoms until a rupture occurs,” he added.
“He just brought me so much joy, as he did many other people,” said swim coach Jennifer Heyer-Olson.
“And I think when somebody passes away, you just wish more that you could have told them that.”
Heyer-Olson coached Ames and his older brother, Sean, for years.
“Just delightful to be around, happy, polite, doing good, just doing kid things,” Heyer-Olson said.
“I just throw myself into work and hope that I can get distracted, but then when you come back to reality, it really hits.”
Those who knew Oliver said he had a great personality and loved collecting and trading collectible cards.”
A local ABC affiliate reported that Oliver was also active in his church’s youth group.
READ: Brazilian Singer, 30, Collapses and Dies during Live Performance
