Woman Saves Boy at Basketball Game: ‘I Did What Any Parent Would Do’

Melody Burrell was at an Illinois basketball tournament with her son over the weekend when a 16-year-old player made a shot and then collapsed. Suggested Reading Is the Fear of Getting ‘Too Dark’ in the Summer a Personal Choice for Black Folks or Deep-Rooted Colorism? Black Films To Look Forward to in 2026 What Will…

Melody Burrell was at an Illinois basketball tournament with her son over the weekend when a 16-year-old player made a shot and then collapsed.

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Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory High School player Jermaine Cullum wasn’t breathing, according to reports. Burrell, a nurse who had been watching a different game at the tournament with her 15-year-old son, rushed to help, starting CPR on Jermaine until paramedics arrived.

“I just did what any parent would do,” Burrell told NBC Chicago. “I see a kid in need and I just wanted to help.”

Jermaine was reported to be in intensive care at Loyola University Medical Center.

“If she would not have been there to start CPR for my baby, my son would not be here today,” Jermaine’s mother, Tarcia Payton, told CBS Chicago.

Read more at NBC Chicago and CBS Chicago.

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