A local man has died following a ruptured brain aneurysm and seizure that happened seconds after an injury sustained at the Orillia Ball Hockey Club on Sunday afternoon.
Erik Folkes, 32, was practising with his team in preparation for an upcoming tournament in Bradford when he slipped on the rink and landed on his elbow.
"He was walking off the floor holding his elbow, so I knew he was in a bit of pain," explained teammate and close friend Peter Macintyre. "He got onto the bench, cracked an ice pack, put it on his elbow, and that's when he went down."
When Erik went to the bench, his brain aneurism (which he didn't know he had) ruptured, causing him to have a seizure. Then, his heart stopped.
Before an ambulance arrived on the scene, Folkes' teammates tried to revive him using CPR and an AED device — to no avail.
"A bunch of us went over to the hospital," Macintyre explained. "We were told he had been airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto" where he was declared dead on Tuesday morning.
Folkes, who owned Alpha Docks, had been working on assembling the tournament team for months, Macintyre says. The team is still scheduled to play this weekend in Bradford.
"Erik put a lot of work into this by himself," Macintyre said. "Everybody put it to a vote that we will still play in this tournament to honour him."
Macintyre says it won't be easy playing this weekend while dealing with the unexpected loss of their teammate and friend.
"We are going down with the mentality that we are going to win the tournament for Erik," he said. "We are going to go down to have fun like he did and to enjoy the game."
Macintyre says Folkes was a familiar face at the Orillia Ball Hockey Club and everyone at the rink knew him by name.
"He was a great guy," he said. "He would go to bat for everybody and would stand up for his friends all of the time."
That sentiment was echoed by his sister, Kathryn, on a Facebook post.
"One thing that has consistently come up was about how much Erik cared about the people he loved, his selflessness, his kindness and generosity and simply put 'would give you the shirt off his back'," said his sister.
She said Erik "died a hero" as he donated his heart, his lungs, his kidney, pancreas, liver and his eyes.
"Erik is going to be saving the lives of seven people," she said, noting it's bittersweet as their mom died two years ago but was unable to donate her organs after passing away due to lung disease.
"We are extremely proud of Erik and although his death was tragic and heartbreaking, he was able to give back one last time and will be living on through so many people," noted Kathryn.
Macintyre says Erik was his defensive partner on the rink and his best friend off the rink.
"He was an all-around great guy to everybody," he said. "He brought our team together and has funded most of the costs out of his own pocket."
Folkes' teammates have started a GoFundMe campaign to aid his girlfriend and three children.
"We want them to have anything that they may need," Macintyre said.
So far, the fundraiser has raised $8,910 of its $$50,000 target. According to Nick Martin, who created the fundraiser, the money will help Folkes' family with transportation, medical bills, baby formula, diapers, groceries, funeral costs, and college funds for his children.