A high school basketball player died suddenly at his home from unknown causes or perhaps from a sports injury that caused a case of peritonitis, officials now say.
Max Sorenson, 17, a basketball player on the Thunder Basin High School basketball team, suffered a medical emergency at his Gillette, Wyoming, home on Dec. 26 and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at Campbell County Memorial Hospital, according to Cowboy State Daily.
Authorities quickly ruled that the death was health related and not a suicide, drug overdose, or a crime of some sort. An autopsy has been scheduled, but officials initially reasoned that the teenager died of peritonitis.
The Mayo Clinic describes peritonitis as an infection or inflammation of the thin tissue inside the abdomen. “The tissue layer is called the peritoneum. Peritonitis usually happens due to an infection from bacteria or fungi,” the Clinic’s description adds. And the Clinic concluded, saying, “Peritoneum infection is usually caused by a hole in an organ in the abdomen, such as the stomach and colon. The hole is also called a rupture. It’s rare for peritonitis to happen for other causes.”
The Clinic also warns that, “Peritonitis can be life-threatening if you don’t get treatment quickly.”
Campbell County Coroner Paul Wallem said that the working theory is that the peritonitis developed from an “injury related to a sporting event.”
Wallem added that he will be “focusing on the injury in the sporting event as the cause of peritonitis,” but also pointed out that it is just a theory and if the evidence does not pan out, “we will continue to look at other answers.”
The teen’s parents seem assured that their son did die from a sports injury, and even added a line to his obituary stating the boy died “due to complications from injuries sustained playing basketball.”
During the recent Hoop City Classic basketball tournament, the deceased teen’s high school teams — both the girls and boys — paid tribute to their comrade by wearing no. 3 shirts in his honor. Harrisburg High School’s team also donned no. 3 shirts as a memorial to the teen.
“I’m not going to remember Max as the basketball player. I’m going to remember Max as the kindest young man I’ve ever been around. He was just so genuine, authentic; his personality was contagious,” Thunder Basin High School basketball coach Rory Williams said. “Just the greatest teammate and the best friend that anybody could ever ask for.”
Sorenson is survived by his parents and four siblings.
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