13-year-old football player dies after going into cardiac arrest during practice

A North Carolina football community is mourning the loss of a 13-year-old middle school player who died days after suffering cardiac arrest during football practice.

Caden Sorrell, a student at Northwest Guilford Middle School in Greensboro, died Sunday after experiencing a medical emergency during practice on Friday. According to his older sister, Vanessa Clark, Caden had just begun practice and was running a lap around the field when he went into cardiac arrest.

Caden was transported to Cone Hospital, where medical professionals made extensive efforts to save his life. His family said he received intensive treatment, including ECMO and a heart pump, but doctors ultimately were unable to save him.

Caden wore No. 42 for the Northwest Guilford Vikings and was remembered by his sister as an energetic, loving young man who enjoyed sports and spending time with his teammates. His favorite NFL team was the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Family Faces More Medical Testing

Caden was one of five siblings, including a twin brother.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help the Sorrell family with funeral expenses, medical costs and lost income as family members take time away from work to grieve and deal with the aftermath of the tragedy.

The exact underlying cause has not been publicly confirmed.

As of Wednesday evening, the fundraiser had collected more than $46,000 from people offering financial support to the family.