California paddleboarder, 14, dies after cardiac arrest then falls into Minnesota lake for four minutes during family vacation: coroner reveals he had undiagnosed heart condition
- Stanley Wilson was on vacation with his family last week when he collapsed while paddle boarding and couldn’t be resuscitated
- His father called the Minnesota lake where he dies his son’s “favorite place in the whole world.”
- The 14-year-old from Encinitas, California is remembered for his leadership and humor
A California teen has died while on an annual family vacation in Minnesota after she collapsed while paddle boarding.
Stanley Wilson, 14, of Encinitas, California, was in Cross Lake with his family when he went into suspected cardiac arrest and fell into the water for three to four minutes.
“We reached him underwater after 3-4 minutes and pulled him up to give him desperate CPR, but he didn’t look good.
“They tried so hard – and I will love them forever – but with tears in their eyes you could tell it wasn’t going well,” Eric Wilson, Stanley’s father, wrote on Facebook.
“But for 15 agonizing minutes they tried and tried — all they could — but finally it was done and he died right there in my arms.”
Stanley Wilson, 14, died last week while on a family vacation in Minnesota
Stanley’s father, Eric Wilson, shared an old photo of his son at Minnesota Lake
Wilson referred to the lake where his son died as Stanley’s “favorite place in the whole world,” adding that the coroner told the family the teen had a “hereditary, undiagnosed heart condition.”
“He probably went into cardiac arrest while he was on that paddleboard and most likely he didn’t feel any pain or fear.
Stanley and his family were vacationing at Pine Terrace Resort when the sudden death occurred on August 9.
Stanley was a former captain of his football team. In a post, the Cardiff Soccer League said he ’embodied what it was to be a good teammate and leader’.
a GoFundMe founded to offset the financial burden on his family of planning a funeral, read:
“During his fourteen years he touched many lives with his sense of adventure, his kindness, his determination to be good at what he loved and his love for his friends and family.”
On Wednesday evening, hundreds of people gathered at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas to honor and commemorate Stanley’s life
Stanley was a former captain of his football team. In a message, the Cardiff Soccer League said he ’embodied what it was to be a good teammate and leader’
On Wednesday night, hundreds of people gathered at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas to honor and commemorate Stanley’s life.
“He just knew that more and he likes fishing more than anything. If he could go anywhere in the world, it would have been that place,” said Eric Wilson.
The memorial focused on how the young man had lived his life and how he had made others feel.
A friend said, “Once you got to know him, he was very outgoing and a nice guy, he always made you laugh, he had a very contagious smile.”
After several members of the large group shared memories, they walked to the shore with candles, released lanterns with messages on them, and threw flowers into the ocean.