Exactly one year ago today, the lives of the Bates-Diop family, and a young woman named Maddie Biehl, changed forever.
On Feb. 9, 2017, Kai Bates-Diop, the younger brother of Ohio State superstar Keita Bates-Diop, collapsed during practice after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. Had it not been for the efforts of Biehl, the younger Bates-Diop might not be alive today.
Biehl, who worked as a certified athletic trainer at University High School in Normal, Ill., was called into the gym by one of Kai's teammates, who told her the 16-year-old sophomore had collapsed. Biehl found Kai unresponsive and without a pulse and instructed a co-worker to call 9-1-1, while Biehl immediately began to perform CPR.
After approximately four minutes of CPR – with the added assistance of an defibrillator – Biehl was able to revive Kai as an EMS crew arrived on scene at the gym. The experience of the event was something Biehl said she was properly trained for and even in the moment, was not as intimidating as it sounds.
"Actually, I wasn't scared at all. The fight or flight instinct kicked in within me," Biehl said as she spoke to the media Friday afternoon. "I am very grateful for all of the intensive training that athletic trainers have, because it prepared me for that moment in my career."
After the incident, Keita returned home, leaving the Ohio State basketball program for an extended period of time that he spent with family. The Buckeye star who has all of a sudden become the Big Ten Player of the Year front runner said Friday that experience with his brother, in addition to missing most of last season with an injury, has given him a new perspective on life.
"It has definitely given me a greater appreciation for not just basketball, but everything in life in general," Keita said. "Everybody talks to you about, 'You're blessed to play this game,' but until something happens close to you where it could be taken away from you, you don't fully appreciate or understand it."
Exactly a year later, a lot has changed for both the Bates-Diop family and Biehl as well. Keita is putting together a career season that has many tabbing him as a potential first-round draft pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Kai has been forced to end his basketball career, but as was revealed in a video by Big Ten Network's "The Journey," Keita made sure to let his brother know that basketball ends for everyone at some time, or another.
Biehl is now a part of not only Kai's life, but part of the entire Bates-Diop family. She now works as a certified athletic trainer at Ohio State, and is around Keita almost every day, a job she said she was urged to apply for by Wilma Bates, the mother of Kai and Keita.
"She said it would be a good fit. She knew me personally at that point, and I believe they knew the hiring staff and other athletic trainers knew who I was before I applied, given the relationship to Kai and Keita," Biehl said. "I would guess (Kai's incident) had something to do with me getting the job, but I like to think that I interview pretty well and I am kind of funny, so I hope that helped, but I imagine it is a pretty big part of why I am here."
Biehl said she talks to Kai daily and spends time with the Bates-Diop family whenever they are in Columbus to watch their older son play. She added that the Bates-Diop family will continue to be a big part of her life moving forward.
"They are my family now and I hope they would say the same about me," Biehl said. "They are stuck with me. It's hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime thing that you go through. The bond that you create with those people is unbreakable. Having Kai in my life has both impacted me as an athletic trainer and as a person."
