Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham Athletics assistant athletic trainer
Bridget Ward will be presented with the Above and Beyond Award by the National Athletic Trainers' Association's (NATA) Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine (ICSM) at the 73
rd NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo in Philadelphia later this Summer.
The Above and Beyond Award recognizes one athletic trainer or one instance of care in the collegiate setting for exceptional performance in athletic training or non-athletic training activities occurring in the past year. Past recipients have administered life-saving measures, developed major programs or initiatives at their institution, or led service projects that have had a lasting impact on the community.
Ward was nominated by several of her Fordham sports medicine peers for saving the life of softball senior Sarah Taffet at a Fall game last October. Ward, Taffet, and the team were playing a game on October 3
rd at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J. when Taffet was tagged out at first base and went into cardiac arrest. Moments later, Ward used an AED (automated external defibrillator) to restart Taffet's heart.
After a series of tests and diagnoses, Taffet was found by New York Presbyterian's Dr. Sandra Tolani, to have a congenital heart defect called ALCAPA, a very rare condition that is typically found and diagnosed within the first year of life. Going undiagnosed beyond that point can prove fatal. However, the incident in Newark meant a chance to correct the problem via open-heart surgery.
Taffet went on to play in 47 games of 52 this Spring, starting 46 of them. To read more about this story,
click here for D1Softball.com's feature.
