REIDSVILLE, N.C. — Rockingham County Schools said Shakiya Wilson died Monday while warming up for track practice. She died at the hospital. The district says it was cardiac-related.
Wilson was a 10th at Reidsville High School. She was only 15-years-old.
To be clear, we don't know the exact cause of Wilson's cardiac event. Her friends and school leaders can't believe it happened.
"Its a really sad day, but we're supporting one another and that's what counts," Rockingham County School's Superintendent, Dr. Shawn Stover said.
Her family felt it was too soon to do an interview, but in a statement sharing their memories, they wrote, "Shakiya was the sweetest and most kind hearted girl. She loved her family and friends with all her heart. She loved to do hair and nails but also loved to ride four wheelers. She always wanted to make us smile whether it be by our endless talks, family game nights, singing, or dancing. She brought a love and light to our lives that can never be replaced. She will be greatly missed for the rest of our lives. We want to thank everyone for the endless love and support at this time. Shakiya we love you and will miss you forever."
RELATED: Reidsville High student dies of 'cardiac event' ahead of track practice, district officials say
Executive Director of Parent Heart Watch, Martha Lopez-Anderson knows the pain of losing a child this way, she lost her son nearly 20 years ago to cardiac arrest, he was only ten-years-old.
"Losing him changed my life forever, but learning that his death was potentially preventable, was like losing him all over again," Lopez-Anderson said.
She preaches prevention, including family heart health history and physicals but she admits that's not enough, "the physical and history alone misses 90% of the kids at risk," Lopez-Anderson said.
She also advocates for screenings involving ECG's or electro-cardio-grams to find undetected heart problems in young people.
Lopez-Anderson tells me 1 in 300 young people have an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk. She's hopeful these types of screenings should be normalized to bring that number down.