High school hoopster recovering from death

Wharton High School basketball coach Tommy Tonelli saw Drake Williams fall to the ground during a drill Saturday morning.

Tonelli rushed to his player's side and saw he wasn't breathing. He started cardiopulmonary resuscitation and ordered some players to look for school staff to help.

They found something better: Tampa Fire Rescue paramedics who had just dropped off a paramedic truck at the school for a Badge Bowl fundraiser football game that was to be held later in the day.

The paramedics hurried to the gymnasium and found Tonelli performing CPR. The paramedics administered a defibrillator shock and CPR.

"They were in the gym in no more than three minutes," Tonelli said.

Their work is credited with reviving Williams and possibly saving his life.

Williams, 16, is recuperating at University Community Hospital. The paramedics visited him there on Tuesday.

"It's not often that we have such positive outcomes, where we see such a dramatic change in patient condition over the actual time that we had," said paramedic Ryan Bradford, who treated Williams. "It's a delightful situation."

Williams suffered a sudden cardiac death, meaning his heart stopped beating, said James Orlowski, the hospital's chief of pediatricians.

Orlowski said the timing was critical.

"A few minutes, and there's going to be significant loss of brain cells," Orlowski said. "The fact that everything came together so perfectly resulted in a tremendous outcome."

Orlowski said Williams needs to have a defibrillator implanted before he leaves the hospital in a few days. He probably won't be able to play competitive sports again.

Williams, a junior at the school, said he has played sports since he was 6. He said he has never had any health problems and wasn't feeling lightheaded or dizzy.

"It is still hard for me to grasp the fact that I was actually gone and I was brought back," Williams said. "To me it felt like I just went to sleep a little bit and then just woke up."

Williams said he appreciates the help he got from the coach, the players and the paramedics.

"I thank you all for what you all did for me," he said.