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You may not know who Tom Sparks is, but I think you should know. He and his wife were competing on an obstacle course for the Wipeout series and he died of a stroke as a result. This is very upsetting news, especially since he was unaware of his pre-existing condition before taking part in the show.
According to the Los Angeles Times, He only complained of knee pain and shortness of breath during the taping, but later suffered a stroke:
The recent graduate of the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism initially complained of knee pain and was experiencing shortness of breath during the event. He was later taken to a local hospital for further examination and was subsequently transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where after several brain surgeries, he died Nov. 5.
Sparks’ cause of death has been deferred pending additional medical tests, said a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
According to the Idaho Mountain Express, Bill Sparks, Tom’s father, says that doctors think Tom’s stroke was most likely caused by a pre-existing conditioned known as antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, a disorder that causes abnormal clotting of the blood.
This is a very tragic thing to happen to him and to his family. But from the sound of it, no one could have known he was in danger until it happened.
My heartfelt condolences go out to all of Tom Sparks’ family and friends.
Probably something that could not have been prevented, due to the nature of the condition. Still sad anyway.