As Duane Caesar witnessed Fredericksburg Christian School basketball standout Noah Caesar dashing up and down the court dishing to teammates and draining jumpers during the Riverbend fall league, he didn’t take it for granted that his son is alive and healthy.
An incident during FCS’ trip to Seton School in Manassas on Jan. 23 tested the family’s faith.
Noah had just hit a bucket to cut FCS’ deficit to 26-20 at intermission before the Eagles went into a classroom to regroup.
Head coach Jimmy Whitman, who was coaching just his second game after taking over midseason, looked at Noah and knew something was not right.
“He was sitting on a table right in front of me,” Whitman recalled. “He looked a little glazed over and he just fell straight back, kind of on the table. The guys grabbed him as he’s falling back … Immediately, I was like, ‘Somebody call 911.’”
Former FCS center Cameron Deveau rushed from the cluttered classroom strewn with bags and other gear and headed to the bleachers seeking his mother, a nurse with 23 years of experience.
Deveau informed his mother that Noah had fainted, but when she arrived in the classroom, she knew it was much more serious as she saw Duane Caesar holding his son and shouting his name.
“I knew he didn’t just pass out,” Sonia Deveau said. “I knew this was more than, ‘He got too hot and overheated.’ So, I just remember putting my hand on Noah’s chest and I couldn’t feel anything. I said to his dad, ‘You have to let me do CPR.’”
Cameron Deveau, a certified lifeguard, performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, while his mother did chest compressions and inquired if there was an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) nearby.
“By the grace of God, the AED was right across the hall from where we were,” Sonia Deveau said. “Someone brought it. It seemed like a long time, but it was very, very quick. We put the AED on him, and it immediately said, ‘shock advised.’ It shocked him and I started compressions again. In just a few seconds, he started moving and waking up.”
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Emergency personnel arrived and transported Noah to Prince William Medical Center. He was later transferred to Inova Children’s Hospital in Fairfax County.
Players kneeled in the hallway in prayer, and the remainder of the contest was canceled. People close to the FCS program went to the hospital to offer support and were relieved when word came that his condition had stabilized.
“Like I said to somebody before, if it had to happen, it happened in the most perfect place because there were people there that could help,” Duane Caesar said of his son’s cardiac arrest. “If it happened in the park, which he frequents a lot, we may not be as lucky.”
After two days in the hospital, doctors determined through testing that Noah could continue his basketball career — much like Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, who suffered a similar incident during a workout at the University of Southern California last year.
“It was a huge relief hearing that,” Noah said of the prognosis.
Noah was released from the hospital after four days and showed up with his father at the Deveaus home to thank them for saving his life. Duane Caesar said the amount of support the family received from the FCS and Seton communities as well as the Fredericksburg area was “overwhelming.”
“We had folks make meals for the family for weeks on end,” he said. “The encouragement that they gave to Noah really helped fuel him and it helped us. The outpouring was humbling to know that your child is loved that much.”
Sonia Deveau was honored at the team’s season-ending banquet, and the Caesar family announced during the event that Noah was cleared to return.
In April, Noah returned to the court for the travel season with the Virginia Playmakers. The two-time all-state guard is back in an FCS uniform for the first time since last January and starring in the Riverbend fall league each week in preparation for his senior campaign, which kicks off in November.
“Initially, I was very nervous, watching every step and every run, every jog, every movement,” Duane Caesar said. “But as more time goes by, that starts to fade a little bit more and goes into the rearview mirror. Now it’s more exciting to watch him play. I’m trusting God.”
Noah, who is receiving interest from Virginia Wesleyan, Randolph-Macon and Mary Washington, was averaging 21.9 points per game, 5 rebounds and 4 assists when he suffered the medical emergency.
He said he’s about 90% back to himself before the incident. He’s working on becoming a more complete point guard this upcoming season so he’s more marketable to college coaches. The most difficult part of the recovery process was being away from the game for four months.
“Mentally, I’m doing pretty well,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of people by my side to help me get through this. Physically, I feel fine now. I feel like I’ve got my legs back.”
Sonia Deveau will have an up-close look at Noah’s progression; she plans to attend as many games as possible this season. She doesn’t feel like a “hero” but said she’s thankful she was in attendance.
That night, she’d considered attending a meeting at work but chose to go to the game at the last minute because it was Cameron Deveau’s senior season, and she didn’t want to miss too much of it.
“I’m just so thankful he was OK,” Sonia Deveau said. “I really can’t imagine a situation where it didn’t turn out that way. I’ve done CPR on people lots of times in the hospital, but you have all your [equipment] there and it’s not someone you know … It was all God working through us that we were focused and able to do what needed to be done to save him.”
Sonia Deveau and Whitman said that now whenever they enter a school, they look around to make sure athletic trainers are in place and that an AED is accessible. Sonia Deveau said that if the AED wasn’t present, the outcome would’ve been different. She urges more people to become familiar with how to use the life-saving devices.
“The biggest thing I took from all of this is even though I’m a nurse, I never paid attention while I’m in public about where AEDs are and how important it is to know where they are,” Sonia Deveau said. “That’s something that’s been on my mind ever since. I don’t walk into a gym without looking around to see where it is.”
