During the second playoffs game for the football season, senior Deon Sewharack severed his pancreas in the third quarter while tackling a player from Armstrong. When Sewharack made that tackle, he fell on the cleat of the Armstrong player. The next morning he went to the hospital where he was sent to immediate surgery. 

The pancreas is an organ in the abdomen between the stomach and intestines. The main function of the pancreas is to create insulin to allow glucose into the bloodstream which provides energy to cells. Sewharack got care in time to save his pancreas and will be able to make a full recovery.

Senior Rocco Serrano, a close friend and teammate, said he is proud of Park’s sports teams for stepping up to support Sewharack on his road to recovery.

“The football team has been really active with Deon’s recovery and along with baseball I know has chipped in a bit. Everyone’s just supporting him as he goes,” Serrano said. “We made a poster at the banquet to send to Deon and his family with a bunch of get well wishes from everyone on the team.”

Friends and other players on the football team have come together to show their appreciation and sympathy to Sewharack. Junior and teammate Tony Kruse, said he is sympathetic to Sewharack and his circumstances.

“(Community members) have supported him a lot and it’s been good to see. Everyone comes together to help him out,” Kruse said. “He’s a nice guy and it’s a bad situation.”

The mother of fellow teammate and friend, Caitlin Serrano, set up a GoFundMe to support Sewharack’s recovery and medical costs. She said her hope was to bring the community together in support of Sewharack.

“I started the GoFundMe for a couple of reasons. One, because I love Deon, he is one of my boys. He’s part of my son Rocco’s crew and it was a very critical serious injury with a huge medical expense,” Serrano said.

According to Rocco Serrano, not only was the GoFundMe started to alleviate Deon’s medical expenses, but to reward the positive impact that he has on the Park community.

“He’s a great kid. I’ve known him pretty much all my life. We used to play basketball together and now the football team because I just started football. Everyone should chip in and do as much as they can to help Deon and his cause,” Serrano said. “He could use as much support as possible.”

Caitlin Serrano said the contributions from everyone in the community have brought attention to local news channels. 

“I am so proud of the support from the St. Louis Park community and just the grassroots nature of GoFundMe. I was able to get the story on all three major news channels,” Serrano said.

Donations to Deon Sewharack can be made through the GoFundMe.