MCA recently received the following letter from Townsend parents, Dan and Laura McDaid. It is our pleasure to share their letter and say thank you to Broadwater coaches and to all coaches who respond quickly and competently in difficult situations. Coach Watson, Coach Flynn and Coach Bartlett, well done!
“We would like your consideration in recognizing Broadwater High School Basketball Coaches Clint Watson, Kirk Flynn & Jeremy Bartlett. Below you will find our story and why we think they should be honored:
On January 13th, 2021, our son Seth McDaid collapsed at basketball practice. His teammates recognizing a problem and yelled for the coaches help. The coaches came to Seth’s aid and realized he was not breathing. Coach Watson and Coach Flynn began CPR while Coach Bartlett ran to get an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). During this time, a 911 call was placed and Broadwater County Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Rauser (who was near the school) overheard the call and responded. He and Coach Bartlett placed the AED leads on Seth, waited the required evaluation time (which must have seemed like forever), at which point the AED administered shock therapy to our son. Seth was subsequently transported to the Broadwater Health Center ER by the arriving EMS personnel.
Coach Bartlett called to inform us there had been an incident during basketball practice. He advised us where Seth was being taken and to get there immediately. My wife Lora, son Brock, and I immediately drove to Townsend. As you can imagine the initial phone call from Coach Bartlett and 25-minute drive to Townsend was overwhelming. We had feelings of helplessness, uncertainty, and just wanted to be with Seth. The thought our son might not be alive when we arrived crossed our minds several times. The thought of a parent outliving their 16-year-old son defied all logic. We had every emotion – concern for Seth, how Lora and Brock were dealing with the news, anger with life not being fair, etc. There was significant prayer given (and maybe a little speeding). While traveling to Townsend Coach Watson called to indicate Seth was becoming more responsive while being monitored at the ER.
Upon arrival it was evident the coaches were still startled by what transpired. They realized the gravity of the situation and hoped they had reacted appropriately. Seth was ALIVE and we knew they had acted selflessly and without delay. They saved our son’s life. We are forever in their debt.
Seth was airlifted by Mercy Flight from Townsend to Great Falls that evening and then from Great Falls to Seattle Children’s Hospital later the next day. Extensive testing has been performed, but it is still unclear at this time what may have caused his heart to encounter such a dangerous condition. Under the advice of his doctors, to protect him from sudden cardiac arrest, an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) was surgically implanted by his doctor.
Through all this we realized how selfless people and their actions can be. Broadwater High School Administration, Coaches Clint Watson, Kirk Flynn, and Jeremy Bartlett, along with Broadwater County Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Rauser, acted immediately and saved Seth’s life. The availability of an AED, their training in CPR and AED use, made a life-saving difference. For this we ask for your consideration to honor these heroes, for their grace under pressure, in a situation most will never experience.”