HOLLAND, Mich. — In 2011, 16-year-old Wes Leonard had made the game-winning shot at his high school basketball game in Fennville when he suddenly collapsed and died after an enlarged heart caused him to go into cardiac arrest.
His family, coach and friends created the Wes Leonard Heart Team with the mission of honoring Leonard by helping schools develop the education and resources to respond to cardiac emergencies.
"We wanted to do something different, to help people be more prepared," said Ryan Klingler who was Leonard's coach, and now serves as the group's director. "I never want a coach to feel like how I felt after Wes passed."
The group has raised money to donate close to 600 AEDs to Michigan schools since 2013. It's also accredited by the American Heart Association to train and certify people in CPR and using AEDS.
At the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit on Saturday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law two bills that will require all schools to have a detailed cardiac emergency response plan.
The bills also require a response team of trained staff members to be standing by at all school and athletic events who can perform CPR and use an AED.
Under the new laws, all coaches will also need to be certified in responding to cardiac emergencies to be hired by school districts.
"23,000 cardiac arrests that happen every year in the United States are children under the age of 18, and 40% of those are athletic event-related," said Matt Johnson, the communication director for the American Heart Association in West Michigan. "What a blessing as a student to know that you can step foot on the football field, you can step on the basketball court or the tennis court, and know that your coach will be able to jump in and save your life if needed, that you have a team of people around you at any school event that you attend that could jump in and potentially save your life."
Klingler said he believes the new laws will add accountability for coaches and staff to know the correct actions to take if someone goes into cardiac arrest.
"We see things moving in the right direction, and this is just another one of those big steps for us," said Klingler.
He also said the MHSAA has taken the lead in already requiring head coaches in high school sports to be certified for the past few years.
Klingler said he's seen the state make great strides in spreading awareness and preparedness since Leonard's passing.
"This past February, we had an official saved up in Cedar Springs, so it's not only the players," said Klingler. "They're going to save more students that are just around the school, they're going to save more spectators, more parents, more staff."
The new laws will take effect for the 2025-2026 school year.
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