Ovet Gomez Regalado, a 15-year-old aspiring football player and a student from the Shawnee Mission Northwest lost his life days after finding himself in a medical emergency.
Reportedly, Ovet was doing an offseason workout on August 14 when he suffered from a medical emergency somewhere in the evening, which prompted the school administration to call 911 as he was taken to a medical facility.
However, he failed to survive the emergency and died on Friday, August 16, after remaining in the hospital for two days.
After the death, the principal of the Shawnee Mission Northwest, Lisa Gruman, wrote a letter to parents of students, as she advised every parent to reach out to their children who may want to talk about this death.
Gruman stated that handling the death of a particularly young person is always a difficult thing, adding that Ovet was an exceptional student who touched the lives of an overwhelming number of people during his stay in the school.
The principle also told parents that many things still remain unknown about Ovet’s death, so parents should advise their children to stay away from any kind of misinformation and rumors. The school administration also urged other parents to respect the privacy of Ovet’s family as they try to navigate through tough times ahead.
Gruman also suggested that the school staff is always available to address the concerns of its students, who may find it difficult to digest this critical situation of seeing their schoolmate leaving in front of their eyes.
On Saturday, August 17, the school organized a vigil in Ovet’s memory, where students participated in large numbers to say one final goodbye to their schoolmate.
Ovet’s friends were also relieved seeing such an emotional farewell to the departed soul. One of his classmates, Zion Scott, stated that he was happy to see so many people loving his friend, adding that his heart is finally at peace.
Another friend, D.J. Love noted that he used to hug Ovet every time he came across him in the school’s hallway. Love went on to say that he never saw Ovet having any enemies as he was a cool-minded person who was not only a good friend but also a good person as well.
The specifics around Ovet’s death remain unknown as of now, and it remains unclear what type of medical emergency he faced.
Some people are speculating that the incident may have been related to extreme heat. Sarahi Ortiz, who has herself faced troubles with heat spells and lives nearby the school, argued that the temperature was really hot in the neighborhood on the unfortunate day, which may have played its role in Ovet’s death.
