There have been several emails going around the country, particulary on the east coast about one of the athletes, Deanna, from N.C. State University. She is a grad student at NCSU, and is a member of the tri team. Deanna did well at White Lake Half, and was training for Duke Half and Ironman Florida - her first IM. Last Friday she had a freak swim accident - we think it may have been a heart attack, or possibly a combination of heart problems, exhaustion, dehydration, and who knows what else. The lifeguards pulled her from the university pool, and between the pool deck and the ER they had to defibrillate her at least five times.
Deanna was in a coma until yesterday, and is slowly waking up. She went a while without oxygen, and we are all hopeful for her slow, but steady recovery. Unfortunately, a complication Deanna experienced was a lack of circulation in her legs, and a leg amputation was neccessary to save her life. As of this writing, she is still asleep, and is not aware of what has or is happening to her. This is a real tragedy for anyone to experience, and is terribly anguishing for a talented and bright 23 year old woman.
Deanna is surrounded by family, teammates, and fellow students as she lies in critical care. The road to recovery will be a long and tough one. I can only hope that she is able to apply her training and racing toughness and her determination about life in general to the recovery ahead of her.
I write this not to publically discuss Deanna’s accident, but instead to urge triathletes to send cards to Deanna; her parents read each and every one to her as this helps with her mental recovery by giving her brain something to fix upon as she struggles with awakening. I am Deanna’s coach, and her teammates and I thank you in advance for the support we know the tri community will show her.
Deanna’s address is: Deanna Babcock, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Wake Medical Center, 3000 New Bern Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27610
Thank you, Coach D, North Carolina State University Triathlon Team