Friends of a Richmond resident and soccer player have launched a GoFundMe page following the unexpected death of their 42-year-old teammate on the field last week.
Described as a great teammate and friend, Felix Chiu, passed away after a cardiac arrest on Dec. 12 while playing soccer with his friends near the Richmond Secondary turf field.
Chiu was an after-school care teacher at a local daycare and loved kids, said Vanessa Yu, Chiu's wife.
He started playing soccer in Hong Kong at the age of five before immigrating to Canada in the 1990s.
The Hugh Boyd grad continued his love of soccer and picked up other sports in high school such as basketball.
"He was just a great leader and did a lot of outdoor and indoor soccer and was a devoted Christian," said Yu.
"He was just a very positive person and always looking out for the team."
Chiu played for the Unicorn 40 soccer team in the Richmond Chinese Soccer League.
Yu recounted receiving the call about her husband while watching hockey at home.
"When I arrived at the field and saw there were so many emergency responders like paramedics and firefighters, I knew it was a big deal, but you never know what exactly is going on," said Yu.
During the incident, CPR was performed by a cardiologist who coincidentally was playing on the opposing team, she explained.
"They did their best and I could ask for nothing more," said Yu.
Meanwhile, other players were searching for but couldn't find an automated external defibrillator (AED) in the area even though they were next to a high school.
Yu told the Richmond News they have seen AEDs on, if not nearby, other fields during their soccer games.
The team manager, Yu added, knocked on the doors of Richmond Secondary to see if there was anyone in the school or an AED near the doors, but couldn't find one either.
"It would be good to bring awareness about making sure to have AEDs on all sports fields, no matter if it's publicly funded or if it's attached to a school."
When asked how she felt about her husband's teammates setting up the GoFundMe page, Yu said she couldn't have asked for a better and more loving Richmond soccer community.
"It's a blessing for him to have these teammates. He has always tried to be a blessing to them and it's good to know that they felt it," she said.
"The GoFundMe isn't as important as bringing awareness about being safe and loving soccer. He passed away doing the thing he loved the most. I can see no better end than that."
Yu added her husband couldn't have been in better care than at Richmond Hospital and St. Paul's Hospital's cardiology intensive care unit.
"They were very welcoming, warm and were very supportive."
The GoFundMe page had garnered $11,864 as of Thursday afternoon.
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