PITTSBURGH — Athletic trainers at Duquesne University were honored as heroes Wednesday night, reuniting with the fan who they resuscitated at a basketball game last month.
Ed Wesolowski suffered a medical emergency at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Jan. 5, but for members of the university’s athletic training staff, that day is still front of mind.
“We had an administrator run over yelling that somebody had gone down in the stands. [Dr. Ryan Nussbaum] and I immediately responded,” said Travis Moyer, an athletic trainer for Duquesne. “By the time the secondary assessment was done, we didn’t have a pulse on him.”
Moyer and Nussbaum, as well as strength and conditioning coach Liz Lee and Dr. Connor Fultz were on staff at the Duquesne women’s basketball game that day.
Trained and prepared, they got to work instantly.
“Travis and I, we go over the medical timeout before every game,” said Lee. “We make sure we know where all the equipment is, and so in that moment, I knew exactly what I had to do.”
With CPR and an AED, the team revived Wesolowski in the fieldhouse before first responders took him to the hospital.
The enormity of the moment set in during the hours and days that followed.
“I think then we started to realize that was pretty impressive that we were able to do that for him,” Nussbaum said.
What began as an intense and terrifying moment gave way to pure gratitude. Wesolowski and his family joined the athletic training staff at center court before Wednesday’s game.
“I was just so glad that the result was him being healthy, and alive and still there for his family,” Lee said.
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