2019
PROACTIVE OFFICIALS VITAL PART OF EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
In the face of a medical emergency, Dale Wakasugi has simple, yet powerful advice for school administrators: “Do something . . . calmly, quickly and with purpose. Seconds are precious and minutes are the enemy.”
For Wakasugi, a resident of Woodbury, Minnesota, those elements have been the difference between living and perishing on a gym floor in the line of duty as a basketball official.
The longtime former official collapsed with cardiac arrest twice during games in a three‑year period. The first cardiac episode came in 2007, and the second in November of 2010. During each medical emergency, he was the beneficiary of swift, life‑saving actions that have served as a springboard to sharing his personal journey and an affirmation to a commitment to educating all on preparedness when faced with a medical emergency.
