Poplar Bluff athlete diagnosed with rare heart defect

St. Louis doctors have diagnosed a Poplar Bluff, Missouri, football player with a rare heart condition that nearly took his life.

Caleb Morrow, a sophomore on the football team, has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, said Tim Krakowiak, communications and marketing coordinator for the Poplar Bluff school district.

The syndrome is present at birth and is detected in about 0.00004 percent of people, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is caused by an extra electrical pathway in the heart that can cause a rapid heartbeat.

Morrow will need heart surgery to correct the condition.

"We really appreciate the community and church for coming out and praying. It means a lot to our family. Please continue," Caleb's uncle, Quentin Morrow, said in a statement released by the school. "This was not football related or heat related. He had an unknown heart condition. We're thankful this happened in a place where professionals could help. It was a matter of time when it was going to happen. We appreciate the quick response from the athletic trainer and coaches. They saved his life.

"He'll be back to 100 percent, playing football if he chooses, with a healthy heart. Again, we're just appreciative for the community, and God's will."

Morrow collapsed shortly after warming up during the first practice of the season. Assistant coach Jay Dowd and athletic trainer Heath Willis started CPR. Paramedics arrived and took Morrow to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, and he was later airlifted to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

"I went up and saw him last night," Mules assistant coach David Sievers said. "They were just taking him off his sedation. They had him pretty well knocked out, just to kind of let everything heal. When I got to talking to him, he was a little bit loopy. He was a little goofy because they had him knocked out for 24 hours. So he was coming off of that. By the time I left, he was a little more respondent, and he was answering questions and kind of joking with his uncles and stuff. It looks pretty good right now."

Sievers also was the coach who addressed the team in the school weight room after Morrow was taken to the hospital Monday and head coach Mark Barousse followed. Sievers did not know much at the time, but updated players on what they knew was a serious situation.

"Usually when I call them in and talk to them it takes a second to get their attention, but I blew the whistle and said, 'Hey everybody, get up' and man, they were there very quick and very attentive to what was going on," Sievers said.

Sheryl Talkington, who has annually trained coaches in CPR, first aid and other emergency procedures for 20 years, said she was proud of the coaches' actions.

"They kept their heads, kept their cool, did what they were trained to do and saved his life," Talkington said. "I'm just so thankful that this one has turned out so well."

Practice was canceled shortly after Morrow collapsed and resumed as scheduled Tuesday.