Cougar back after diabetic attack

When he needed them most, the Prince George Cougars had Brendan Boyle's back.

Because of the team's awareness that the 18-year-old forward is a Type 1 diabetic and the quick response of the Cougars' training staff, who knew the proper procedures when he went into diabetic shock in his hotel room on Jan. 12, the morning after a game in Saskatoon, Boyle got the help he needed to mitigate a life-threatening incident.

It started when Boyle's roommate, Blake Eastman, woke up and saw him having a seizure in his bed. Eastman immediately called Cougars athletic trainer Mike Matthies and he and equipment manager Chico Dhanjal rushed to the room and called for an ambulance.

Diabetic shock is brought on by having too much insulin, a hormome produced in the pancreas which regulates blood sugar levels. Boyle's blood sugar had dropped too low, a condition called hypoglycemia.

"It was pretty obvious he was in a state of diabetic shock, he had an incident earlier in the week that was more minor and that almost prepped us for the situation," said Matthies.

'Luckily we'd talked about it a lot because we wanted to be prepared. There is a glucagon injection you can purchase but honey does the same thing. You can put it in under his cheek and it will go into his bloodstream quickly, because obviously he couldn't chew or swallow in that state."

According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, servere hypoglycemia in an unconscious patient needs to be treated with a glucagon emergency kit, and Matthies waited for paramedics to arrive to administer the shot.

First aid protocol for seizures recommends trying to keep the patient away from hard or sharp objects so they don't injure themselves as their bodies thrash uncontrollably with jerky movements. Don't try to hold the patient down or restrict movements, try to put them on their side to keep the airway clear and don't put any object in their mouths to keep them from biting their tongue. Eventually the seizure will stop on its own and the person will regain consciousness. 

"Chico was very helpful, he calmed everything down and was talking to Brendan the whole time," Matthies said. "He was already in a diabetic shock state and there's really not much you can do at the time other than try to get his blood sugars up. I had a feeling all it was was his blood sugar being low and just continued to check his pulse. You just talk to him and wait for it to stop."

Boyle had two seizures that morning. The first one that lasted 15 minutes, followed by another that went on for about 10 minutes. Diagnosed with diabetes at age 14, he'd never before experienced a seizure.

The paramedic crew arrived within a few minutes and, after the seizures stopped, Matthies, Dhanjal and one of the attendants held Boyle while the other paramedic inserted an intravenous line. The still subconscious Boyle fought to get free and it took a concerted effort to subdue the six-foot-one, 179-pound athlete.

"He was still confused and disoriented so when someone's trying to reef their arm in a position they don't like, he didn't want us to put him in that position," said Matthies. "We've come to realize he's a very strong individual."

Along with glucose tablets, a tub of honey, and tongue depressors to apply the honey, the Cougars' training staff has a glucometer with them close by at all times to check Boyle's blood sugar levels. The team has a stretcher equipped with a defibrillator, IV equipment and Matthies keeps his medical bag with him on the bench. Boyle wears an insulin pump and recently had a sensor attached to his shoulder which allows him to check his blood without the need to prick his finger. 

"His sugar had dropped a bit lower (a few days before in Regina) but it was during the day, so he was more conscious," said Matthies. "He just appeared unresponsive, staring into space and not acting himself. He's a happy, cheery guy and he's very vocal about it so you know when he's acting a way that's not characteristic of Brendan there's something we need to look at."

Matthies is trained to a first responder level and he and Dhanjal refresh their first aid skills before each season begins. All Cougar players who room with Boyle on roadtrips and his billet parents know what to do if he ever shows signs of diabetic stress.

"It's scary because I've known Boyle and his family for three or four years now and it's tough," said Dhanjal. "The best thing is we get trained really well with the league and first responders but they don't train you for real-life stuff like that. Cudos to Mike stepping in there nice and calm and Blake doing a great job of letting us know what's going on and it worked out in the end."

Boyle knows when his sugars are dropping too low. His hands feels shaky and he sweats profusely. When his sugar level is too high he lacks energy. A high reading before a game means he will use his insulin pump for the first period and then check his blood between periods.

Boyle, one of the top face-off specialists on the team, missed three games after that incident and had a few sore muscles but otherwise had had no ill effects. He's from Regina and had his family with him at the hospital in Saskatoon. 

"I was lucky enough to have great guys to help me out, obviously Mike and Chico did a great job and so did Eastman, my roommate," said Boyle, who scored his third goal of the season in the Cougars' 6-3 loss Saturday in Kamloops. "It's good to have people around you you can trust when situation like that happen. I can't thank those guys enough for the help they gave me and getting on top of it right away."

The Cougars host the Lethbridge Hurricanes tonight then host the Vancouver Giants Friday and Saturday at CN Centre, their final regular season home games.