Former JackJumper Recovering After Health Scare

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Former Tasmania JackJumper Sejr Deans is lucky to be alive after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game of pickup basketball.

Deans – who made two appearances for Tasmania in its inaugural NBL22 season – collapsed in Jacksonville before being rushed to hospital.

The now 20-year-old guard signed on with the Jacksonville Dolphins in the NCAA after his sole season in the NBL.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">?WATCH: A former JackJumper is lucky to be alive after suffering a cardiac arrest while practicing with teammates in the USA.?<br>Sejr Deans was unconscious and his heart wasn't functioning when he was rushed to hospital, with medical staff describing his recovery as a miracle. <a href="https://t.co/EdpSlMeHZU">pic.twitter.com/EdpSlMeHZU</a></p>— Brent Costelloe (@brentcostelloe) <a href="https://twitter.com/brentcostelloe/status/1645354653318811653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“It was like a dead ball between possessions,” Deans reflected on the incident to WIN News. “I think people might have been arguing about the score and it just looked like I’d fainted.

“I had some really good friends and some really supportive people around me who got on the phone, did CPR and got the ambulance there as soon as possible.

“I did die … the first few days I couldn’t really comprehend it all because I was still saying I just fainted.”

Deans has since been fitted with a defibrillator to help prevent a repeat occurrence of the shock incident.

As he progresses towards back to full health, Deans says he’s looking forward to a return to the court.

“We’ll see where I’m at playing wise, and see when I can get back in the gym,” he said.

“I’ve still got to get back playing basketball and get better ultimately.”