Spaulding athlete vows to 'never give up' after trainer saves his life following seizure

ROCHESTER — When Spaulding High School junior Matt Gould collapsed in the office of athletic trainer Jon Mousette in December, Mousette relied on his training to perform chest compressions and sternal rubs to keep Gould alive until first responders could arrive.

Gould seemed to be in the clear, as he recovered from the incident, but he soon found out his fight had just begun. The next week is a bit of a blur for Gould and his family: A trip from Frisbee Memorial Hospital to Boston Children’s Hospital. A series of tests and scans, and questions. And fears.

Then the word … “tumor.”

A brain tumor on the occipital lobe of his brain was the cause of the seizure, and would need to be surgically removed.

“We brought him to Boston,” said Matt's mother, Mary. “The next morning the emergency room doctor is standing there saying, ‘Well, it's a tumor.’ And it’s like, ‘Wait a minute. Where did that word come from?’ But we got in there and got the tumor removed three days later, and we were back home a couple days after that.”

Once again, it seemed Matt had dodged a bullet. But the biopsy of the removed tumor revealed Matt has a rare form of brain cancer called ependymoma, which requires radiation treatments. There will be check-ups every three months for the rest of his life.

“I just have to keep going,” Matt said. “Never give up. Just keep going.”

Gould honored at Wednesday’s Spaulding hockey game

The Spaulding hockey team hosts a game each year to raise awareness for cancer and cancer research. On Wednesday, that game took on even more significance as the night was for one of its own. The team invited Matt Gould to perform the ceremonial puck drop. The night also was an opportunity to gather donations to support his family to defray costs while supporting his treatments.

When a family member is fighting cancer, it can feel like a lonely battle, but Brad Gould, Matt’s father, said the family has never felt that way.

“That hasn’t been our experience at all,” Brad said. “The community has been great – so supportive.”

“It’s been overwhelming,” said Mary Gould. “They had a benefit for him the other night, and there were more than 400 people there. It was just amazing. We came back from (his treatments) in Boston today and came up here for the hockey game. The support has been amazing. We just want to thank everyone for their support.”

Matt said he has been feeling the love, and he appreciates the support of the community, not just for himself, but for his entire family.

“They have really kept me going,” Matt said of the support he has received. “The whole city has been there. My family and friends, and even people I don’t know.”

Mousette’s training paid off

School athletic trainers can often be seen taping ankles, or helping student athletes work out muscle cramps or injuries. When Gould’s seizure occurred, it was a reminder the role is much more than that. Mousette saved Matt Gould’s life, and he and his family will be forever grateful.

“I was weight lifting after school and my vision started to go black, so I went down to the trainer’s office,” Gould said. “Then I just started seizing up. I woke up in the hospital.”

“Luckily on that day we didn’t have many games going on, pulling me in different directions,” said Mousette, who is contracted with Spaulding High School through Wentworth-Douglass Hospital/Mass General Brigham. “I was actually in my office doing paperwork. Matt is an out-of-season athlete, who was in the weight room for football and baseball. He felt something was a little off, so he came to me. Thank God he did, because it went from being fine to not being fine in the span of about 15 minutes.”

When Gould started seizing, Mousette sprang into action, calling on all of his training to keep Matt alive until more help could arrive. He said the role of athletic trainers is often misunderstood. Athletic trainers are required to have a master’s degree and a variety of medical trainings, such as CPR, first aid, and pain management among other skills. Matt Gould’s seizure, and Mousette’s immediate response, underscore why all that training is necessary.

“Even though we have the skills to save lives, you hope that you never have to use them,” he said. “I hope I never have to do it again.”

Brad and Mary Gould said they have known Mousette for a long time, and they are relieved and grateful he was there for Matt in his time of need.

“Matt would've probably died if (Mousette) hadn’t been there," Mary Gould said. "The seizure was so bad. His head was slamming around and he stopped breathing and his face was turning purple. (Mousette) had to do sternum rubs to get his heart going again.”

Spaulding athletic director Kevin Hebert said Mousette has been a "mainstay" in the Spaulding community for a long time.

“He's done a great job with our student-athletes,” Hebert said. “That day was one that I don’t think any of us are going to forget for a long time. Thank God Jon was there and Matt sought him out. We're extremely thankful for the job he has done.”

Matt Gould is up for the fight

Having cleared the first couple hurdles in his recovery, Matt Gould will complete his 33rd-and-final radiation treatment next week. His next goal is to be ready for baseball season. Hebert, who coaches Gould on the school’s football team, said his resiliency is no surprise to those who know him.

“He’s one of my football players so this hits home, for sure,” Hebert said. “Coaches say all the time that their kids are ‘great kids’ but Matt is top-notch in everything he does. He’s a fighter. I told him, ‘Listen, we’re going to get through this together.’ He’s been great. His attitude has been phenomenal. You wouldn’t know there’s an issue if you talk to him. He’s just one of those kids who’s going to grind through it and do everything he needs to do to get through this.”

Matt Gould said it doesn’t help him to dwell on the things he can’t control, but he added he is confident things will work out well for him, and he is ready for the fight.

“It was tough at first, but I just battled through it,” Gould said. “It definitely took a lot out of me, but I’m getting through it.”

“He’s doing better with all of this than we are,” said his father, Brad. “Somehow, he has stayed positive and is motivated to get through it.”

Mousette said Matt Gould has stayed positive throughout a challenging process, and that will go a long way in supporting him through this battle.

“They’re a great family and he’s a great kid,” Mousette said. “They’ve stayed very positive throughout everything. I’m just very happy that things worked out as well as they did.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Trainer saves Spaulding athlete Matt Gould's life following seizure