Organ Mountain High School football player Abraham Romero died Saturday night, the school’s booster club announced Sunday morning. He was 17 years old.
In an online post, the Organ Mountain club said Romero passed away with his mother by his side. Romero spent three weeks in an El Paso hospital in a medically induced coma.
“Seventeen years isn’t enough, but it’s all they gave him. It’s so easy to focus on what we’ve lost, but the true measure of a life is in the impact it has on our world, not the length of time it was with us,” the post read in part.
A team captain, linebacker, and running back were airlifted to El Paso after collapsing during the Knights game in Deming on Aug. 26. He spent three weeks in the ICU in a medically induced coma with a brain hematoma, and doctors made multiple attempts to reduce the brain swelling, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. It’s not clear what might have caused Romero’s collapse.
Romero’s condition worsened last weekend and his friends and teammates were able to visit him in the hospital on September 10. Multiple fundraisers for Romero and his family have raised more than $15,000, including a car wash held by all four Las Cruces high schools. Romero was crowned king of Organ Mountain’s homecoming on Thursday night.
“The outpouring of love, support, and prayers from the Las Cruces community, surrounding areas, and even other states has been magical,” the post read. “The knowledge that Abe has been at the center of everything has carried his immediate family and the OMHS football team over these past few weeks.”
There is a GoFundMe set up to help the Romero family, which can be found here. The Organ Mountain Booster Club has also asked CashApp donors for his mother in $ elizabtro, so the funds can go directly to the family. 8509 is the last four digits of the phone number.
“On behalf of Abe’s immediate family and the OMHS soccer family, thank you for the care and support you have shown. We will share information about the memorial services once it has been finalized,” the club post read.