Full Text of HR0065 103rd General Assembly
HR0065 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to honor the life of Zeke Upshaw and to | 4 | | raise awareness of the risk of cardiac arrest in young | 5 | | athletes; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Zeke Upshaw was born in Chicago on May 27, 1991; | 7 | | he began playing organized basketball at the age of six; he | 8 | | attended the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools on | 9 | | scholarship, where he became the school's first basketball | 10 | | player to receive a professional basketball contract; he began | 11 | | playing college basketball at Illinois State University in | 12 | | 2009, where he obtained a degree in Apparel, Merchandising, | 13 | | and Design; he continued his education and passion for | 14 | | basketball by transferring to Hofstra University for his final | 15 | | season with NCAA eligibility, and he earned his Master of | 16 | | Science in Education in Higher Education Leadership and Policy | 17 | | Studies; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Zeke Upshaw began his professional basketball | 19 | | career overseas with the Helios Suns in Slovenia in 2014; he | 20 | | then played with the team Basket Esch in Luxembourg from 2015 | 21 | | to 2016; that same year, he returned to the United States and | 22 | | joined the Grand Rapids Drive, an American professional | 23 | | basketball team of the NBA G League based in Michigan and an |
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| 1 | | affiliate of the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball | 2 | | Association (NBA); and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, In the midst of obtaining his education, grueling | 4 | | practices, and exhaustive games, Zeke Upshaw always found time | 5 | | to give back to his community through volunteer work and youth | 6 | | mentorship; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, On March 24, 2018, after scoring 11 points in the | 8 | | regular-season finale and propelling the Grand Rapid Drive | 9 | | into a playoff spot with a 101–99 home win, Zeke Upshaw | 10 | | suddenly collapsed on the court; two days later, he passed | 11 | | away from sudden cardiac death on March 26 at the age of 26; | 12 | | and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of | 14 | | death in young athletes; estimates vary, but some reports | 15 | | suggest that about one in 50,000 to one in 80,000 young | 16 | | athletes die of sudden cardiac death each year; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, Risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest for young | 18 | | athletes include unexplained fainting that occurs during | 19 | | activity or exercise, shortness of breath or chest pain, and a | 20 | | family history of sudden cardiac death; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Medication, surgery, and the ceasing of athletic |
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| 1 | | activity can all lower the risk of sudden cardiac arrest in | 2 | | young athletes; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Athletic centers having readily available access | 4 | | to an automated external defibrillator (AED), a portable | 5 | | device that delivers shocks to reset the heart during cardiac | 6 | | arrest, can also lower the risk of death from sudden cardiac | 7 | | arrest; therefore, be it | 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 9 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 10 | | we honor the memory of Zeke Upshaw and wish to raise awareness | 11 | | of the risk of cardiac arrest in young athletes; and be it | 12 | | further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 14 | | presented to the family of Zeke Upshaw as a symbol of our | 15 | | esteem, our respect, and our deepest sympathy.
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