For most primary school students, last week was their first week back to school. They got to see their classmates, meet new friends and teachers and by this second week they will more or less be settled in for the new school year. But that experience was cut short for 12-year-old St. Joseph School student Daemon Garcia. He collapsed on the school court on Friday while practicing with the basketball team. Daemon's coach then rushed him to the hospital but nothing more could be done for him, Daemon died on Sunday morning. So what happened to the pre-teen? How could a young, active and spirited young boy just faint and die? Did he hit his head on the fall? According to the principal, it was not the fall that killed Daemon, in an interview this evening, she told us what happened on Friday and revealed the surprising post mortem results. She also reflected on the brilliant and athletic student Daemon was.
Rose McGregor, Principal - St. Joseph RC School
"It was on Friday that the basketball team, the coach Mr. Moody had his tryouts and he was practicing his students, the students who were on the basketball team and they had finish practicing and he was working with one specific student when he said he heard a student shouting for him that Daemon had collapse on the ground and so he carried him over to the verandah where other teachers and at the time there was a nurse here also who assisted with him and so we didn't want to wait for the ambulance because that would have taken a time. So I call for the parent to meet them at KHMH and the coach took him to the hospital."
"Friday night they did a CAT Scan on him and they found that there was bleeding on the brain and a little swelling and so that was what they found on Friday and then Sunday morning early I got a call that he had passed. But they did the postmortem yesterday and they found that it was an aneurism."
Courtney Weatherburne, 7News
"I know it's difficult for the children, because he was their classmate, their friend - just talk to us about how traumatic this experience has been for the students."
Rose McGregor, Principal - St. Joseph RC School
"Well on Monday I met with our local manager Fr. Noel Leslie after which we had an emergency meeting with my staff and we discussed what was our plan and so over the weekend and also on Sunday I had also contacted the Catholic School's counselor Mrs. Chan who came on Monday. She was here bright and early before 8:30am and she also brought another counselor along with her Ms. Elliot. So they spent the entire day here at St. Joseph with us counseling the children, those who were on the basketball team, those who were close to him, those who are in his class and also teachers as well. It was really an emotional time for all of us and we continue the grieving process."
"As you can see we have set up our shrine out there for him and the children have been writing poems and we are celebrating his life. He was very athletic. He loves basketball and I have been to the games that at Bird's Isle and many times I could find myself whenever he had the ball, I was shouting his name "Daemon shoot" or whatever. So he was very athletic."
"When he was in standard 5, he use to visit my office quite frequently and we had discussed several behavioral issues and I must say since then I haven't seen him. So he has made progress when it comes to his behavior. But he is quite a bright, active boy, who has been with St. Joseph since 2008. He has started here from infant 1 and he entered standard 6. He only spent 1 week in standard 6."
Daemon will be buried on Saturday September 17th in Dangriga. Deamon was just starting in Standard 6.
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