Benjamin Daniel Breedlove [2] was an American
Internet personality from
Austin, Texas, known for his
blogs on
YouTube .
[2][3] On the night of December 25, 2011, he died of
cardiac arrest at the age of 18.
[2][4]
(August 8, 1993 – December 25, 2011)
Personal life
Breedlove grew up in
Austin, Texas, where he was a senior at
Westlake High School. He lived with his parents and two siblings, older sister Ally and younger brother Jake.
[1][4] In 2010, he began making video blogs on YouTube, in which he dealt out relationship advice to his peers.
[4]
YouTube
Breedlove created the
OurAdvice4You channel on YouTube in November 2010 with friends, Justin Miller and Megan Parken.
[2][3][5]
He would give out relationship advice to his viewers and interview
family members and friends. On May 23, 2011, he launched his second
channel,
BreedloveTV, a companion channel to his first, where he would answer questions about dating, relationships and advice.
[2]
According to family members, girls from all over the world would
message Breedlove, asking him for advice. In his hometown, Breedlove
became a celebrity to many teenagers; he was continually asked to be in
pictures with his fans.
[6]
As of 2 September 2012,
OurAdvice4You has a total of 38 videos, and more than 60,000 subscribers, and
BreedloveTV has 17 videos and over 32,000 subscribers.
A third channel was created by Breedlove on December 18, 2011, entitled
TotalRandomness512. This channel is the host of the two-part video, "
This is my story", which has since become viral. As of 27 December 2012, both videos have a total of 12.6 million views.
[2]
Heart condition
At an early age, Breedlove had been diagnosed with
hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,
a muscle heart disease which made it difficult for his heart to pump
blood, ultimately leading to cardiac issues. His doctor believed that
Breedlove would not survive past his early teenage years.
[1]
"This is my story"
On December 18, 2011, Breedlove released a 2-part video on
YouTube, entitled "This is my story." Breedlove opens up about his heart condition as well as the impact it had on his life, using
note cards. He also mentioned three near-death experiences.
[7]
"I was at school, walking in the hall. I could tell I was going to
faint, so I sat on a bench. I passed out. The next thing I know, I woke
up with EMS around me. I couldn't talk or move, I could only watch what
they were doing. They put the shock pads on my chest. I heard one of
them say 'They are ready'. And the other guy said 'Go!'. I passed out
again. My heart stopped and I wasn't breathing for 3 minutes."
Breedlove on the third time he "cheated death".
[8]
Breedlove in September 2011.
In the video, Breedlove describes the first time he "cheated" death, which was at the age of 4 when he had a life-threatening
seizure.
[7]
He goes on to describe an experience he had in a hospital while being
wheeled on a stretcher, "There was this big bright light above me ... I
couldn't make out what it was because it was so bright. I told my mom,
'Look at the bright light' and pointed up. She said she didn't see
anything."
[2][4][8]
On May 5, 2009, Breedlove underwent surgery to insert a
pacemaker.
[2] The pacemaker helped regulate his heart rhythm and gave him more energy.
[1] In the video he shows a red scar on his chest, where the pacemaker had been inserted.
[8]
In the summer of 2011, while in the hospital for a routine
tonsillectomy, Breedlove suffered his second
cardiac arrest. He stated that, "It was a miracle that they brought me back ... I was scared to die, but am SO glad I didn't."
[2]
The third time Breedlove survived death was on December 6, 2011.
While in the hall at Westlake High School, he felt that he was going to
faint, so he sat on a bench and lost consciousness. The next thing he remembered was being surrounded by
emergency medical services
(EMS) personnel, and that he was unable to speak or move. He remembers
passing out a second time right before he was about to be
resuscitated with a "
shock pad". During this time his heart ceased pumping blood for three minutes.
[8][9]
While unconscious, Breedlove had a feeling of comfort similar to that
of his first near-death experience. He recalls being dressed up in a
white suit while standing alongside his favorite rapper,
Kid Cudi, in a white room.
[8] He references Cudi's song "
Mr. Rager", citing the track as his favorite song.
[10] He asks at the end of the video, "Do you believe in Angels or God?" and simply answers, "I Do."
[11]
Death
Breedlove died from a
cardiac arrest on the evening of
Christmas Day, 2011, at his parents' home as family and friends were gathering for Christmas dinner.
[4]
According to Ben's school friend, he had received a new video camera
for Christmas and was anxious to get outside and try it. While outside,
he began experiencing
shortness of breath
and light headedness. Breedlove laid down in the yard then passed out.
His parents called 911 and administered CPR until EMS arrived. Friends
of the family were on their way to the Breedlove home to share Christmas
dinner with them. However, when they arrived the yard was filled with
emergency vehicles. Paramedics rushed Ben to the hospital, but all
resuscitation attempts failed.
[12]
Aftermath
News of his death made world coverage on December 27, his story first appearing on
Australia's Ninemsn[5] before coverage spread out through the world on other major media outlets, including the
Los Angeles Times,
[8] American Broadcasting Company,
[2] CBS News,
[13] MSNBC,
[9] Fox News,
[14] MTV,
[15] Daily Mail,
[4] The Independent,
[16] Herald Sun,
[17] Washington Post,
[18] People Magazine,
[19] and
The Wall Street Journal.
[20]
On December 29, Breedlove's funeral was held at the Gateway Church,
in Austin, Texas. The memorial service was streamed live on the
KXAN website, at his father's request. More than 1,400 people attended the service, and another 11,000 watched online.
[21][22] A day after Breedlove's death,
Kid Cudi said in reaction, "This has really touched my heart in a way I can't describe, this is why I do what I do."
[23] Kid Cudi later dedicated his third studio album
Indicud (2013), to Breedlove and all his fans that have passed away, in the album's
liner notes.
[24]
Breedlove's family had his organs and
tissue
donated, a decision that wasn't difficult, since, Ben eventually would
have needed heart transplantation himself, and "Ben would have wanted to
continue helping and inspiring others," according to his mother.
[25] On January 1, 2013, Breedlove was among four other individuals honored by
Dignity Memorial on a
Donate Life float at the 124th
Tournament of Roses Parade. The float was memorialized with floragraphs and portraits of the five individuals, made out of
floral and other natural materials, that were decorated by their family and friends in December.
[25][26]
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association & The HEARTS Act
On January 5, 2012, the HCMA (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Association) announced that they mourn the death of Breedlove and are
encouraging their members to "tell their stories the same way as Ben."
Lisa Salberg, founder and CEO of HCMA, along with New Jersey Congressman
Frank Pallone
Jr. had worked together in drafting the Cardiomyopathy Health
Education, Awareness, Risk Assessment, and Training in the Schools
(HEARTs) act. The Bill was introduced in January 2012 to Congress. "The
HEARTs Act mandates raising awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)
in schools and childcare centers and requires better prevention measures
that will save young people's lives. It requires the
Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate with the
Centers for Disease Control as well as patient advocacy and health professional organizations to develop and distribute materials about
SCA. Also, it requires guidelines regarding the placement of life-saving
automated external defibrillators in schools and information on cardiopulmonary resuscitation
CPR training."
[27]
Salberg cited Ben Breedlove and others like him as the reason they
will "lobby hard for the passage" of the HEARTs Act. The HCMA have
agreed to create a special design bracelet for awareness of the disease.
Students of Ben's high school, Westlake High, have had input into the
design.
[28]
The Westlake High School Student Council and Friday Night Fan Stand
collected donations for the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association
during the Ben Breedlove Memorial Football Game which took place at the
Westlake football stadium on September 21, 2012.
[29]
Fans wore white as a show of support and a moment of silence was
observed. Funds collected were used for educational efforts relating to
the disease that claimed Breedlove's life.
[29]
Africa New Life Ministries
Donations in honor of Breedlove have also been directed to Africa New
Life Ministries, an organization which states as its mission to provide
"education, spiritual insight and basic necessities to poor children
and families."
[30]
During Breedlove's teenage years, he became familiar with the plight of
homeless African children; specifically those enslaved as child
soldiers. Breedlove's desire was to find a way to help these children,
but he was unable to do so during his lifetime. In honor of Breedlove's
wishes, funds donated to the Ben Breedlove Memorial Fund will be used to
help feed, clothe and educate young men in Rwanda.
[31]
Donate Life
On January 1, 2013, the Rose Bowl Parade float titled "Journeys of
the Heart", which was sponsored by Donate Life, featured florographs of
Breedlove, along with many other organ and tissue donors and recipients.
[32]
Each year, Donate Life honors deceased organ, eye and tissue donors
nationwide by creating and placing the florographs on the float.
[33]
The float was decorated with all fresh flowers, plants and seeds. The
artistry of the float included sweeping hearts that swirled up very high
and low, symbolizing the highs and lows of organ and tissue donation.
Breedlove's heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, often
requires a heart transplant. Because Breedlove would possibly require a
heart transplant, he and his family made the decision to register as
donors with the belief that if they were to be a recipient family, they
should be willing to be donors, too. Breedlove's legacy of donation
currently lives on in approximately 50 people, with the potential to
help more.
[34]
To see more of who died in 2011
click here
