Family ‘Heartbroken’ After High School Football Player, 18, Dies In His Sleep: ‘His Kindness Touched So Many’

NEED TO KNOW

• A high school athlete in Pennsylvania died unexpectedly
• Damarius Nalik Galarza, 18, “passed away Saturday night as a result of a medical event,” the Cornwall-Lebanon School confirmed
• Galarza was "a truly special young man," his mother wrote in a GoFundMe

A Pennsylvania community is mourning the loss of a student-athlete who unexpectedly died in his sleep.

Damarius Nalik Galarza, 18, who played football and ran track at Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pa., “passed away Saturday night as a result of a medical event,” the Cornwall-Lebanon School District said in a statement. 

“On behalf of our entire school district community, we extend our deepest sympathy to Damarius’ family and friends during this very difficult time,” the statement continued.

Galarza’s mother Michelle Franco confirmed his death in a GoFundMe where she wrote that her son — “a truly special young man” — died in his sleep.  

“The loss has left our family heartbroken, and we are trying to find our way through this unimaginable pain,” Franco wrote.

Galarza, a high school senior who was an honor roll student, was looking forward to attending Penn Tech in Williamsport next fall, where he hoped to study construction management, his mother said.

The 6-foot, 4-inch athlete “loved fishing, skateboarding, rollerblading and riding his bike,” according to Franco, and had a special bond with his niece and a love for the Philadelphia Eagles.

In addition, the teenager worked at Wendy’s as a cook, and just days before his death, obtained his driver’s license.

More than anything, Galarza was about spending time with family and friends, where his “presence filled every room with warmth and joy,” his mom said.

“My son was always willing to help anyone, and his kindness touched so many lives,” Franco wrote. 

Read the original article on People