Brian Lee ‘19 is the true definition of a warrior. He was one of only two freshman boys to successfully complete the strenuous try-out process for the varsity swim team. For any athlete, training outside of school is a major component of becoming a strong competitor for the school team. Brian was at his club team Nitro’s practice on Sept. 16 when he went into cardiac arrest.

“I remember Garrett making me go first in the kick set and then I blacked out,” Lee said. “When I woke up, I was in the ambulance and knew something bad had happened but I didn’t know what.”

Brian doesn’t remember the moment his heart stopped beating, but teammate Garrett Mott ‘16 does.

“It scared the crap out of me,” Mott said. “He was swimming in the same lane as me when it happened. We were both in the middle of a kick set and he just stopped, grabbed my ankle, and I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. I turned around to see that he was thrashing near the wall. Coach Eric and Jeremy immediately pulled him out of the pool when they saw him.”

Taking action, the Nitro coaches observed that his pulse was irregular and began CPR compressions on him immediately. At some point, however, they lost his pulse. A parent, who is a licensed doctor, was observing what was happening from the stands and stepped up to take over CPR until the ambulance arrived. Brian went through about 20 minutes of compressions without a heartbeat before the ambulance showed up. When EMS arrived, they administered AED twice before his pulse miraculously returned.

“I wasn’t too worried,” Lee said, “because I knew I was in good hands on the ambulance and I knew they would take care of me. I am very glad and thankful that I was in the good hands of my coaches and doctors that were at Nitro because if I wasn’t there with them, then I would’ve died.”

The doctors have concluded that Brian’s cardiac arrest was because of a genetic factor that accelerates Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). SCD results from a complex interplay of structural, metabolic, and genetic determinants. His excessive exercise only expedited the problem, but eventually this tragic occurrence would have come about. He could have even been doing something as simple as jogging from his car to the house in the rain. To help with future episodes, Brian had to get an implant that was similar to an AED into his heart. It’s designed to administer shock in case his heart beats ever become irregular again.

“When I found out about Brian, I was surprised and then relieved when I heard the news,” teammate Abigail King ‘18 said. “I was told after the announcement that he would be okay and all I could feel was relief. I wanted to be there to reinforce the swim team’s support, so I went with some teammates to visit him at the hospital. While we were there, Brian tried to be positive about the experience, but he definitely showed some nerves. After some time together, though, the laughter and love spread through the room had made a difference of making him feel better.”

The reactions among the people that knew Brian varied. Some people were shocked and some were extremely worried.

“I was shocked that Brian went into cardiac arrest because he had so much potential and suddenly at such a young age, his swimming career came to an end,” teammate Preston Varozza ‘16 said.

Coach Matt McBrearty, who coaches Brian on the Westwood swim team, worried that he might have pushed Brian too hard in practice earlier that day.

“My first thought when Garrett called me the night of the incident was, I wonder if I was the one who caused it,” Coach McBrearty said. “I kept thinking back to that morning’s dry land to see if what I had made them do had caused it. I can vividly remember seeing Brian do handstand push-ups, but then I told myself not to dwell on it because what mattered most was that he was going to be okay. Over all I was just worried about how he was handling everything. The tone in Garrett’s voice when he called me was panicked, and I kept waiting for him to tell me that after everything, Brian had died.”

Brian will, however, remain a part of the swimming family. He has remained very positive throughout this experience, and nothing brings the swim team more joy than seeing Brian’s smiling face and knowing that he is ok.

It is a true miracle that Brian Lee is alive, and his Nitro Coaches and the doctor are the people to thank. Swimming that night saved Brian’s life because he went into cardiac arrest in the presence of people who knew what to do.