Funeral arrangements have been set for Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. at the First New Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1555 W. 108th St. in Los Angeles, for Washington Prep High School cheerleader Angela Gettis, 16, who collapsed at a football game at Fremont High and died later at the hospital.
An autopsy is currently pending, but indications are the teen died of cardiac arrest.
Witness Cameron Bonner reported that Gettis collapsed about 9 p.m. in the final moments of last Friday night’s game on the Fremont campus in the 7600 block of San Pedro Street.
Washington staff performed CPR and Gettis was temporarily revived. After paramedics arrived she was taken to the hospital in cardiac arrest, but died three hours later.
Bonner said Washington Prep had just tied the score with minutes to go in the game when Angela collapsed, and coaches and trainers ran to her side.
“They had just tied the game up, and the cheerleaders were pumped up,” Bonner said. Angela appeared “to just pass out,” he said.
“All of her friends were in a circle crying,” Bonner said. “It was so confusing, they were all so concerned about this little angel.”
On Monday, students, parents, and teachers celebrated Gettis’ life at a school memorial which was attended by nearly 250 people. Grief counselors were on hand to console students as well.
During the memorial, the students and faculty released balloons to express the joy Angela brought them. Additionally, members of the football team signed a jersey and gave it to Angela’s family and plan to dedicate the season to her memory.
Washington Prep Principal Todd Ullah said in a statement that Angela was a good student at the school and that there was nothing she enjoyed more than cheering. She did, however, have plans for the future. According to her friends and family, Gettis planned to become a forensic scientist after studying at a university in Texas. Family members believe an enlarged heart Angela was diagnosed with as a child may have contributed to her death, but according to Ullah, her cardiologist had cleared her to cheer.
