GREENSBORO, N.C. — Sports have been an important part of kids' lives for as long as they have been around, and we know injuries are a natural part of sports as well.
However, what we saw on Monday Night Football in the Bills vs. Bengals game shook many across the world.
During that game, 24-year-old Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin collapsed due to a cardiac episode.
As support for Hamlin grows, so does concern about the dangers of youth sports.
Many parents across the country have been asking, could this happen to my child? How frequently does something like this happen?
As the number of concerned parents continues to grow, there are many discussions happening about whether or not they'll allow their kids to participate in both contact and non-contact sports.
Well, we spoke with Dr. Chris Miles from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and he says that shouldn't be the case.
At this time we don't know exactly what happened to Hamlin as of yet, Dr. Miles told us the chance of any contact leading to a heart issue is slim to none.
"They are so so rare, that we never want to encourage someone to not participate in an activity because of this kind of thing...If something tragic like this were to happen. We do need to make sure that people are trained in CPR, trained in how to use an AED, and that an AED is available", this is how Dr. Miles described the chance of something like this happening to your child.
Dr. Miles also tells us, that the majority of cardiac episodes that we see in the pediatric population or the competitive athlete population occur due to pre-existing genetic conditions. He wants parents at home to understand the chances your child is affected by an event like this are rare.
"Worldwide, there are about 20 cases that lead to death in a year's time, so incredibly rare for that particular condition...You have a better chance at winning the lottery than you do having something like this happen", Dr. Miles told us,