High School Football Player Who Collapsed and Died During Practice Has Organs Donated to Three People

A New York high school athlete who died after collapsing while doing drills on a football field had his organs donated to three people, Newsday reported.

Robert Bush, 17, died last Monday after experiencing a sudden “cardiac event” on his high school’s football field in Selden, New York, his brother, Steve Bush, told Newsday. He was transported to the hospital and put on life support while his organs were extracted.

Three people in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have received his liver and kidneys. 

Bush was part of the Newfield High School football team, whose members did an “honor walk” on his behalf outside the hospital. 

“They were there to honor his life and honor the fact he was about to save lives,” said Leonard Achan, president and CEO of LiveOnNY, a nonprofit that facilitates organ donation in the greater New York area. 

“This young man gave three people a second chance at life,” he said. “He saved three people in three states within 24 hours.”

An autopsy to reveal Bush’s exact cause of death will be conducted. Bush was adopted so his medical history was not entirely known to family members.

A Selden community member started a GoFundMe page to help the family with expenses and to create a foundation and scholarships in his name. So far, the fundraiser has raised more than $26,000.