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There are many compassionate and courageous mothers who have taken the above quote by eminent child and family psychologist, Dr. Lee Salk, and given it dual meaning. Two of these mothers, Karen Acompora and Rachel Moyer, have taken their darkest moments and turned the tiny points of light in their "darkened sky" into super novas for all of us to experience.

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This past Tuesday, May 7th, 2002, just five days before Mother's Day, New York Governor George Pataki signed into law just the second bill in the nation mandating that each of public schools purchase two Automated External Defibrillators ("AEDs"). Every mother, not just in New York State, owes Karen Acompora and Rachel Moyer a debt of gratitude for the tireless work and countless hours that they put into making sure that this bill was passed.

PA schools had an option to get two free AEDs if the district so chose (not a mandate as in NY), 96% of the districts did and many districts bought more, however, NY is not giving any AEDS away for free, each district must pay for their own)

Karen and Rachel did not know each other until they met in December of 2001 at an AED conference that Karen and her husband, John, were giving in Albany, New York. Karen and I had been working together for about eighteen months when I received a heart stopping e-mail from Rachel that began, "I am writing because Karen Acompora told me about your web site. I wish I had known about this exceptional web site sooner. Karen and I have a very unfortunate similarity; we both have suffered the loss of our young teenage sons while playing sports."

For Karen, it was the morning of March 25, 2000. Her fourteen-year old son, Louis Acompora, was nervous. He was getting ready to play his first high school lacrosse game as the goalie for his Northport (Long Island) High School freshman team. Karen and John arrived just as the teams were lining up before the game began, saw their son shake hands with the opposing team's goalie and head back to his goal, where he ceremonially banged the pipes with his goalie stick. Louis nodded to his father and mother in the stands as if to say, "You made it (to the game)."

Less than a half an hour into the game, Louis blocked a shot with his chest as he had done countless times before. He picked up the ball, took a few steps, and then, as he attempted a clearing pass, collapsed. John Acompora assumed that his son had had the wind knocked out of him, but, to the shock of his parents, the coach and bystanders, Louis was soon unconscious, not breathing, and without a pulse. Rescuers at the scene administered Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) until emergency medical personnel arrived. Attempts to restore a normal heart rhythm through electric shock (defibrillation) were unsuccessful, however, and Louis was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

For Rachel, it was the evening of December 2, 2000. Gregory Moyer, 15, was playing basketball for Notre Dame High School against cross-town rival East Stroudsburg North High School in rural Pike County, Pennsylvania. It was the very first game in North High's brand new multi-million dollar gymnasium. Befitting the occasion, the game was on local television.

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Teams of Angels

Read more about this subject in Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (Harper Collins) by Brooke de Lench. Brooke is also the founder and editor-in-chief of MomsTeam.com.

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Article Updated: August 25, 2007

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