Kike loved that little field more than any other place.
It was his refuge, the place where he trained alone, where he let off steam during the day, where he felt free. That afternoon, he had decided to stay a little longer, locking himself in as he often did so as not to be disturbed.
He didn't know that that choice, so innocent, would have a huge impact.
The sudden illness
He was running from one line to the other, practicing sprints and changes of direction.
The sun was still high, the air hot, his breathing heavy but regular.
Then, suddenly, a pain in his chest.
A missed heartbeat.
Another out of sync.
A violent dizziness.
Kike stopped, placed a hand on his heart.
He tried to take a step, then collapsed to the ground.
His body remained motionless on the concrete of the field, enclosed by a gate that no one could open from the outside.
Minutes passed before anyone saw him.
A boy passing by on his bike noticed the body on the ground and ran toward the gate.
“Kike! Hey! Can you hear me?”
The boy immediately called for help, but when the workers arrived, they found the gate locked with a heavy padlock.
“We have to get in!”
“We need a tool!”
“Call the firefighters!”
Every second seemed like a millstone.
The firefighters arrived within minutes, but it seemed like an eternity.
They cut the padlock, opened the gate, and finally the rescuers reached Kike.
He was unconscious.
He wasn't breathing.
He had no pulse.
The doctor immediately began chest compressions.
Another doctor applied the defibrillator pads.
The monitor showed a chaotic rhythm, then a nearly flat one.
“Shock advised.”
The shock coursed through his body.
No response.
Compressions continued.
Ventilation.
Drugs.
Another shock.
The delay had already done its job.
In the ambulance, they tried again, with stubbornness and professionalism.
But Kike's heart didn't return.
At the hospital, the doctor emerged from the emergency room with the look everyone feared.
The cause was clear: a sudden arrhythmia, perhaps genetic, perhaps triggered by exertion.
But what had made everything irreversible was the delay in rescue.
That padlock.
That closed door.
That handful of minutes that had made the difference between life and death.
The playground was closed for days.
Kike's friends left flowers, cards, a T-shirt with his name.
The community wondered, angry and hurt.
Why didn't a public place have an emergency opening system?
Why had no one ever thought it could be useful?
Why does safety always come second, when it's already too late?
The city installed a new automatic gate, an AED at the entrance, and a sign:
"In memory of Kike.
So that no one has to die waiting for help."
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