The death of a child is like a stone,
cast into the stillness of a quiet pool;
the concentric ripples of despair sweep out in all directions,
affecting many, many people.
--De Frain, 1991
Today the skyline over Charlottesville is gray because we lost one of our children. This blog was created in remembrance of Ntanga Musie, who died yesterday August 11, 2009. He died doing what he loved best, playing soccer. This blog is a celebration of Ntanga’s life and the love that surrounded him. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to Ntanga’s family; Edgar, his father, Margaret, his mother, Lushaka (Lushi), his brother, and Phophi, his sister. No words can relieve the sorrow of the loss of a child. However, as best stated by author Jareb Teague “Even hundredfold grief is divisible by love." Please help us in remembering Ntanga and his beautiful family.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
His life:
Natanga was born in South Africa on March 26, 1996. He and his family came to Charlottesville in 2006. He attended school at Jack Jouett and was an Honor Roll Student. He began playing soccer for SOCA in the spring of 2008, playing on the U12, U13 and U14 travel teams. In addition to being a talented athlete, Ntanga also enjoyed playing the violin. His mother described him as a loving and supportive son – always helping at home without ever being asked. He was a patient and caring big brother and inspiring role model for his younger siblings. A recent and lasting memory for family and friends is of their trip to Busch Gardens where fearless Ntanga delighted in riding his favorite roller coaster, The Griffon. Margaret recalls the night of August 11th just before Ntanga’s practice. During his dinner, he asked repeatedly if it was time yet for him to leave for practice. Energetic and enthusiastic, Ntanga died doing what he truly loved.
What happened to Ntanga - the medical facts:
Ntanga died tragically on Tuesday night at the first soccer practice of the fall. He was 13 and many are asking what happened? Why did someone so young and fit loose consciousness and not recover?
Ntanga has experienced episodes of loss of consciousness before and in fact, has had 5 or 6 episodes while playing soccer over the last year. All of his events happened after strenuous exertion, usually on a hot day. Typically he developed lightheadedness, felt faint and collapsed to the ground, recovering spontaneously after several minutes. On one occasion he had some jerky movements of his arms and legs, raising the question of epileptic seizures. After the first episode he was taken to the emergency room by ambulance. All the tests on that visit were normal. He underwent extensive other medical investigations. He consulted with a pediatric cardiologist and had a number of cardiology tests including an ECG (electrical heart tracing), echocardiogram (heart ultrasound), a 3 week ambulatory heart monitor and a treadmill exercise test. All of these were also completely normal. He also consulted a neurologist and had a brain scan and EEG (looking for electrical epileptic activity). With all these negative tests and repeated episodes of loss of consciousness it was thought that he most likely had vasovagal syncope – recurring common faints. He was encouraged to hydrate well, and to sit or lie down if he felt lightheaded.
The event that occurred on Tuesday August 11th was similar to the previous episodes. During a reasonably intense scrimmage, he became light headed. His father, Edgar, saw him put his hands on his head and then sit on the ground. He went over to his son and then saw him loose consciousness and become unresponsive. His breathing became labored and he did not make the usual recovery after a few seconds. The trainer was called, an AED (automatic defibrillator) was fetched from the clubhouse and 2 UVA ER physicians rushed to his assistance. The rescue squad arrived after a few minutes. He had intensive resuscitation with chest compressions and a breathing tube was inserted. Emergency drugs were administered. Despite all of these efforts, he failed to respond and eventually he passed away.
He was taken to UVA and his parents consented to an autopsy the following day. The preliminary results are now available. At the autopsy it was found that he had an anomalous left main coronary artery. This is a rare syndrome in which one of the two coronary arteries (supply blood to the heart) arises from an unusual location on the aorta (the big blood vessel coming out of the heart). This artery then wraps around some of the main blood vessels (aorta and pulmonary artery) to reach the part of the heart to which it supplies blood. The aorta can squash the anomalous coronary during strenuous activity. This would then limit the blood supply to the heart and could cause a heart attack or abnormal life threatening rhythms.
This anomalous coronary artery was the most likely cause of Ntanga’s death.
Despite this information, there remains an element of uncertainty. The full results of the autopsy will only be available in 6 weeks. His failure to respond to such prompt and excellent resuscitation is not well understood. In fact his pulse recovered during the resuscitation but his consciousness and respiration never improved. We have however, found no other plausible explanation of these events and thus assume it was the anomalous coronary artery.
Could this have been diagnosed and treated and death prevented? Anomalous coronary arteries can be diagnosed on heart catheterization or CT scans. In some cases, symptomatic patients undergo open heart surgery to bypass this abnormal vessel. This is high risk and sometimes, controversial surgery. In Ntanga’s case, the left main coronary artery was seen on the echocardiogram after it tracked around the aorta to its normal position and was considered normal. The real abnormality was hidden from view. It was then considered unnecessary to do other investigations.
Unfortunately, this tragedy represents the limits of medical science and the resolution of advanced heart imaging techniques. There are very few diagnostic tests that are perfect at picking up abnormalities and this case is an example of the limitations.
It is our opinion that Ntanga received excellent medical attention and that the efforts to resuscitate him were prompt and of high caliber. We could not have done more to try to rescue him.
John Ferguson M.D. Aug 14th, 2009.
Ntanga has experienced episodes of loss of consciousness before and in fact, has had 5 or 6 episodes while playing soccer over the last year. All of his events happened after strenuous exertion, usually on a hot day. Typically he developed lightheadedness, felt faint and collapsed to the ground, recovering spontaneously after several minutes. On one occasion he had some jerky movements of his arms and legs, raising the question of epileptic seizures. After the first episode he was taken to the emergency room by ambulance. All the tests on that visit were normal. He underwent extensive other medical investigations. He consulted with a pediatric cardiologist and had a number of cardiology tests including an ECG (electrical heart tracing), echocardiogram (heart ultrasound), a 3 week ambulatory heart monitor and a treadmill exercise test. All of these were also completely normal. He also consulted a neurologist and had a brain scan and EEG (looking for electrical epileptic activity). With all these negative tests and repeated episodes of loss of consciousness it was thought that he most likely had vasovagal syncope – recurring common faints. He was encouraged to hydrate well, and to sit or lie down if he felt lightheaded.
The event that occurred on Tuesday August 11th was similar to the previous episodes. During a reasonably intense scrimmage, he became light headed. His father, Edgar, saw him put his hands on his head and then sit on the ground. He went over to his son and then saw him loose consciousness and become unresponsive. His breathing became labored and he did not make the usual recovery after a few seconds. The trainer was called, an AED (automatic defibrillator) was fetched from the clubhouse and 2 UVA ER physicians rushed to his assistance. The rescue squad arrived after a few minutes. He had intensive resuscitation with chest compressions and a breathing tube was inserted. Emergency drugs were administered. Despite all of these efforts, he failed to respond and eventually he passed away.
He was taken to UVA and his parents consented to an autopsy the following day. The preliminary results are now available. At the autopsy it was found that he had an anomalous left main coronary artery. This is a rare syndrome in which one of the two coronary arteries (supply blood to the heart) arises from an unusual location on the aorta (the big blood vessel coming out of the heart). This artery then wraps around some of the main blood vessels (aorta and pulmonary artery) to reach the part of the heart to which it supplies blood. The aorta can squash the anomalous coronary during strenuous activity. This would then limit the blood supply to the heart and could cause a heart attack or abnormal life threatening rhythms.
This anomalous coronary artery was the most likely cause of Ntanga’s death.
Despite this information, there remains an element of uncertainty. The full results of the autopsy will only be available in 6 weeks. His failure to respond to such prompt and excellent resuscitation is not well understood. In fact his pulse recovered during the resuscitation but his consciousness and respiration never improved. We have however, found no other plausible explanation of these events and thus assume it was the anomalous coronary artery.
Could this have been diagnosed and treated and death prevented? Anomalous coronary arteries can be diagnosed on heart catheterization or CT scans. In some cases, symptomatic patients undergo open heart surgery to bypass this abnormal vessel. This is high risk and sometimes, controversial surgery. In Ntanga’s case, the left main coronary artery was seen on the echocardiogram after it tracked around the aorta to its normal position and was considered normal. The real abnormality was hidden from view. It was then considered unnecessary to do other investigations.
Unfortunately, this tragedy represents the limits of medical science and the resolution of advanced heart imaging techniques. There are very few diagnostic tests that are perfect at picking up abnormalities and this case is an example of the limitations.
It is our opinion that Ntanga received excellent medical attention and that the efforts to resuscitate him were prompt and of high caliber. We could not have done more to try to rescue him.
John Ferguson M.D. Aug 14th, 2009.
Memorial Service/Celebration of Ntanga:
A memorial service and celebration of Ntanga’s life will be held at Jack Jouett Middle School at 6 pm on Monday, August 17, 2009. The funeral and burial will be held at a later date in South Africa. During the memorial service, we are asking that fellow soccer players wear their uniforms if desired. The service is designed to celebrate Ntanga’s life and our precious time with him. We will have some prearranged speakers, but there will be an opportunity during the ceremony when impromptu comments from friends will be shared. An Albemarle County schools orchestra will play at the service in honor of his musical talents and contribution to the orchestra at Jack Jouett. The family will receive friends immediately following the service until 8 pm. Mia White has graciously arranged for food to be available during the reception.
In lieu of flowers, information regarding memorial contributions will be posted on this site within the next 24 hours. (The plans for the Ntanga Musie Fund are in the final stages.)
In honor of a South African tradition, swatches of black cloth will be available for attendees to pin on their clothing. [In South Africa, these would be worn to symbolize those in mourning and sometimes worn for 4-6 weeks after the loss of a loved one.]
In lieu of flowers, information regarding memorial contributions will be posted on this site within the next 24 hours. (The plans for the Ntanga Musie Fund are in the final stages.)
In honor of a South African tradition, swatches of black cloth will be available for attendees to pin on their clothing. [In South Africa, these would be worn to symbolize those in mourning and sometimes worn for 4-6 weeks after the loss of a loved one.]
Ntanga Musie Fund is Now Ready to Accept Contributions
Contributions to the Ntanga Musie Fund are now being accepted. All financial contributions received to the Fund will be used to offset memorial and funeral expenses and to support travel for the Musie family to South Africa for the funeral. Only cash or checks will be accepted. All checks should be made payable to Edgar Musie, designated as a gift. A basket will be available for contributions at the memorial service on Monday. After that time, checks (payable to Edgar Musie) can be sent to the Ntanga Musie Fund at 2409 Smithfield Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901.
Some of you have asked what will happen with the Ntanga Musie Fund while the Musies are away in South Africa. In Edgar’s absence, close friends of the Musies will oversee the Ntanga Musie Fund and use finances to begin paying for outstanding expenses. Therefore, charitable donations to the Ntanda Musie Fund will continue to be accepted, even while the Musies are away in South Africa.
Checks (payable to Edgar Musie)
Ntanga Musie Fund
2409 Smithfield Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22901.
Some of you have asked what will happen with the Ntanga Musie Fund while the Musies are away in South Africa. In Edgar’s absence, close friends of the Musies will oversee the Ntanga Musie Fund and use finances to begin paying for outstanding expenses. Therefore, charitable donations to the Ntanda Musie Fund will continue to be accepted, even while the Musies are away in South Africa.
Checks (payable to Edgar Musie)
Ntanga Musie Fund
2409 Smithfield Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22901.
The Musie Family
We have spent the past few days with the Musies, and I thought that many of you would like to know how they are doing and could find peace (as I have) from their incredible strength. We spent a couple of hours with Edgar and Reverend Otis Spellman, who will be officiating the memorial service. Edgar, an associate pastor himself in South Africa, told us he feels that he is in a good place with Ntanga's death. He spoke with a smile when he said "Ntanga was not only my son, he was my friend. His body is no longer with us but he lives right here [touching his chest] in my heart." He described their special relationship as one of ease and openness and mutual respect. Ntanga told his father on Saturday before his death that he was not afraid of "this" (the unknown reason that his sudden events would occur) and that he did not want to live in fear. He just wanted to play soccer and live life.
I was given opportunity to spend a couple of hours alone with Margaret as well, taking care of last minute items in town. She is equally strong and genuinely amazing as well. She talked about Ntanga with a saddened smile. Her boy was her friend. He always helped in the house, knowing the family needs without ever being asked. In fact, sometimes if she needed a little help in the kitchen, to wash a dish or help clean the counter, she would say, "Ntanga, make my life easier". Ntanga would smile and come to her assistance, knowing just what she needed. He was the best friend not only to his parents, but also to his brother Lushaka (10) and sister Phophi (3). The three of them went to the playground together almost every day. Phophi enjoyed playing school with him, and Lushi played Playstation daily with Ntanga.
Spending time with Edgar and Margaret, I now know more than ever how Ntanga became the wonderful son, friend and big brother that he was.
Edgar's quote is an inspiration to all, "Ntanga lived his life. He finished his life. It was a sermon itself."
I was given opportunity to spend a couple of hours alone with Margaret as well, taking care of last minute items in town. She is equally strong and genuinely amazing as well. She talked about Ntanga with a saddened smile. Her boy was her friend. He always helped in the house, knowing the family needs without ever being asked. In fact, sometimes if she needed a little help in the kitchen, to wash a dish or help clean the counter, she would say, "Ntanga, make my life easier". Ntanga would smile and come to her assistance, knowing just what she needed. He was the best friend not only to his parents, but also to his brother Lushaka (10) and sister Phophi (3). The three of them went to the playground together almost every day. Phophi enjoyed playing school with him, and Lushi played Playstation daily with Ntanga.
Spending time with Edgar and Margaret, I now know more than ever how Ntanga became the wonderful son, friend and big brother that he was.
Edgar's quote is an inspiration to all, "Ntanga lived his life. He finished his life. It was a sermon itself."
Volunteers Needed:
As we plan the services, we are in need of a few volunteers to help with set up before and take down after the services. I would also like to enlist the help of his teammates and friends in various non-speaking parts of the service (like helping with the registry, helping with the black cloth swatches, etc.) If you are available, you can respond to this post with a comment or call me directly.
Mary Anne
Mary Anne
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