A fundraiser is underway to support the family of 14-year-old Knox MacEwen, who reportedly died while participating in a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps event in Miramar, Florida.
According to WTVJ,MacEwen was participating in a 5K run on Saturday as part of the training event when he had a cardiac arrest. WTVJ reported that MacEwen was transported to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
He was a student at Western High School in Davie, Florida.
An online fundraiserhas garnered over $68,000 in donations for the boy's family.
MacEwen was participating in the BCPS JROTC Raider Meet, which included nearly 700 JROTC cadets from around Broward County, Florida. JROTC organizers said the events would be "physically and mentally demanding, requiring strength, stamina, discipline, leadership and teamwork across a set of outdoor adventure tasks."
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"He was a revered member of his local community — a JROTC student, a volunteer with the kids ministry at his home church; and he was a beloved brother, son, grandson, nephew and friend," wrote fundraiser organizer Lauren Milam. "This family has been through the unimaginable, as this has happened as Knox’s mom, Julie, is still physically and financially recovering from a hard-fought battle with cancer this last year."
According to the Mayo Clinic, sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among young athletes. The Mayo Clinic estimates that about 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 80,000 young athletes die of sudden cardiac death annually.
