Forsyth County teen football star suffers embolism; to be honored at game
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. - A star high school football player at Denmark High School in Forsyth County has reportedly been declared brain-dead.
According to a GoFundMe account for the family, 17-year-old Finley Kruchten suffered a cardiac arrest due to a massive pulmonary embolism on the morning of Oct. 1. The incident reportedly began in a locker room at the high school.
He was initially transported to Northside Hospital Forsyth and then transferred to Northside Gwinnett. The clot was removed and he was in the intensive care unit when he passed away on Oct. 9, according to a GoFundMe representative.
A close family friend, Lindsay French, sent a statement to FOX 5 Atlanta from the family:
Finley, who we love so dearly, has passed as a result of a total loss of brain function. His body is now in the process of organ donation, offering the gift of continued life to others. While a miracle was not granted for Finley, we hope that his organs will be a miracle for many!
According to a post on CaringBridge.org, his family believes Finley would want to help as many people as possible (through organ donation). They are now in the process of making that happen. They also said they would update everyone when they have information about a celebration of life for Finley. Additionally, they asked people to remember Finley by "moving forward with Love."
In July, Kruchten announced on social media that he had earned a D1 (athletic scholarship) offer to play football at Marist College in New York and he recently attended a game with his family.
A post on Instagram says that Kruchten started off as an "undersized offensive lineman" and turned himself into a college prospect with multiple offers. The post also said that Kruchten would often stay after practice to help clean the locker room and he was known for helping the middle school kids with shot put. The post also describes Kruchten as an "unselfish fun loving person who smiled every chance he got."
Cardiac arrest due to a massive pulmonary embolism occurs when a large blood clot blocks a major artery in the lungs, severely disrupting blood flow and straining the heart.
Chick-fil-A has announced that it will be donating proceeds from its Spirit Night at the Halcyon location on Friday night (Oct. 11) to Finley's family.
Additionally, Finley will be honored at Friday night's football game. The school is asking supporters to wear their favorite Hawaiian shirts to honor Kruchten.
A single organ donor can save up to 8 lives and improve the lives of up to 75 more people, according to LifeLink of Georgia. Many families say that knowing their loved one helped others helps them cope with their loss. In the U.S., more than 100,000 people are waiting for organ transplants, and approximately 16 people died each day while waiting.
Editor's note: The above story has been updated to reflect that Kruchten has been declared brain-dead and that his family is in the process of making arrangements for his organs to be donated.