Doctor aids injured player
Staff writer
A physician watching in the stands came to the aid of a Goessel basketball player injured during the team’s 48-23 victory Feb. 15 over Wichita Classical.
Thirty seconds into the third quarter, Wichita Classical had the ball and was trying to score. Goessel freshman guard Abbigail Funk leapt to block but flew too far. She missed the ball, hit the floor, and slid head-first into a metal strip on a wall.
“Her head happened to hit right underneath the padding,” coach Ryan Hoopes said.
Teammates came to help her up. When she wasn’t moving, Hoopes and other school faculty jogged over to see what was wrong.
Hoopes called for towels to sop up blood. The gymnasium was silent save for murmurs, and both teams were sending glances to the scene.
Robyn Hartvickson, a family physician whose oldest son attends Goessel High School, came down from the stands.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” she said.
Hartvickson helped faculty perform first aid, stayed with Funk as she was helped off the court, and eventually escorted Funk to her clinic at Newton Medical Center where she stapled the injury.
Funk was well enough afterward to come back to Goessel and watch the boys play. Hoopes says Funk is doing OK but likely won’t be playing basketball for a while.
“I’m glad I could help her get her injury cared for quickly,” Hartvickson said.