Goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma Runs Across Field to Help Save Fan Who Went Into Cardiac Arrest: 'Hero'

Jason Hahn
·2 min read
1
Jeremias Conan Ledesma of Cadiz CF during the La Liga Santander match between Cadiz FC v FC Barcelona at the Nuevo Mirandilla on September 10, 2022 in Cadiz Spain
Jeremias Conan Ledesma of Cadiz CF during the La Liga Santander match between Cadiz FC v FC Barcelona at the Nuevo Mirandilla on September 10, 2022 in Cadiz Spain

Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty

This weekend's match between Barcelona and Cadiz was briefly stopped after a fan went into cardiac arrest — and a goalkeeper lent a helping hand during the emergency.

In a statement from Cadiz, the soccer club said medical personnel used a defibrillator on a man who went into cardiac arrest during the 81st minute of the match on Saturday.

"One of the medical teams went to the stands with a defibrillator and a monitor, starting the resuscitation tasks," the team said. At that point, FC Barcelona offered a second defibrillator just in case, and Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma sprinted over to the stands to help out.

Ledesma was photographed catching the device from staff and running it across the field to the medical team before tossing it into the stands.

Cadiz said the man regained consciousness after a few minutes and was taken to the ICU at Hospital Puerta del Mar.

RELATED: U.S. Women's Soccer Star Allie Long Expecting Twins with Boyfriend Casey Cordial: 'Can't Wait'

Fans on social media praised Ledesma — who also goes by his middle name, "Conan" — and medical teams for quickly jumping into action to save the fan's life.

"Great job Conan Ledesma, and great job to the medical staff for having the AED ready and accessible," wrote one user on Twitter.

RELATED: U.S. Women's Soccer Team to Receive Pay Equal to Men's in Historic Deal: 'Extreme Pride'

"Massive respect for the Cádiz goalkeeper, Conan Ledesma," added another user. "He ran to the bench to get a CPR kit and threw it to those coming to the aid of the fan in the stand. Hero."

Cardiac arrest typically causes people to lose consciousness and can be fatal in minutes. Unlike a heart attack, where there is a blockage of blood flow, cardiac arrest is induced by an electrical malfunction that causes the heart to stop beating altogether, which means blood isn't flowing anywhere in the body, per the Mayo Clinic.

According to the FDA, an automated external defibrillator (AED) "automatically analyzes the heart rhythm in people who are experiencing cardiac arrest," and can deliver an electrical shock to the heart to restore its normal rhythm.

"Obviously we are all affected by what happened," Cadiz coach Sergio Gonzalez told reporters after the match, which ended in Barcelona's favor, 4-0. "Hopefully it was just a scare in the end."

"Football is for people to enjoy themselves," he added, per ESPN. "It is a privilege to have the supporters we have, they were an example of humanity during what happened — as were the Barcelona fans."