Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Mother starts rapid response team to monitor youth football after son’s death

PITTSBURGH — A mother is working to keep other kids safe after losing her son more than a year ago.

“The bond between a mother and a son, it’s just different,” said Laken Duckett.

Jordan Duckett died in August of 2019 after collapsing during a youth football practice. The medical examiner determined Jordan died of severe asthma. His mother is keeping his spirit alive while keeping other kids safe — and it’s making us proud to be from Pittsburgh.

Duckett said she had moments where she wanted to give up but couldn’t because of her two daughters, Winter and Legacy.

“They deserve the same love that Jordan had as well,” explained Duckett. “I had to, you know, snap back into reality. I have these two beautiful girls. They need me, and I know that Jordan wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The Carrick mother went from grieving to trying to stop this from happening to any other family. She’s started a rapid medical response team to monitor football practices and games.

“Youth athletes, when they play sports, this should be the highlight of their life,” Duckett said. “This should be one of the greatest times. It should be the time where they are playing and feeling like, you know, this is something good. This should not be an end result to the very last time of their life. It should not lead to their death.”

She also wrote a book to honor her son’s memory. It’s called “The Book of Jordan” and is about her son, his loss and perseverance.

“My children are like everyone else’s children,” said Duckett. “They are the reason why I keep going forward. I want to make sure that nothing like this ever happens to them again.”

You can get the book at local bookstores or on Amazon.

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