Unity Christian junior hospitalized after possible heart attack

Unity Christian High School junior Jake Chapman warms up during a basketball game last season. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. - Jake Chapman, a junior at Unity Christian High School, had a medical emergency on Wednesday night.

Chapman had just returned home after football practice.

“(It) was last evening shortly after he got home,” Unity Christian football coach Craig Tibbe said. “An AED was used, but that can detect a number of issues. I am not sure about that detail.”

Colin Nieuwenhuis, a senior at Unity Christian, is a teammate of Chapman’s on the basketball team. 

“I got a text that said “Jake is on his way to the hospital and had cardiac arrest,” Nieuwenhuis recalled about how he heard the news.

Tibbe said Chapman is still hospitalized as of Thursday night.

“Doctors are attempting to determine (the cause),” Tibbe said. “Right now they are most focused on making sure that they help him fight back from this setback. He has had some small but positive things happen today. They are so thankful for all of the many prayers lifted on Jake's behalf. The Lord has him in his hands.” 

Chapman is a 6-foot-6 tight end on the football team and a forward on the basketball team. He plays travel ball with the Grand Rapids Storm.

“It was pretty quiet at school,” Nieuwenhuis said. “People were thinking about Jake today. People love the kid and he’s important to us. Not just athletically, but he’s a great friend and a good guy to be around. We’re all praying for him and worried about him.”

Chapman was injured on the football field on Friday night against Coopersville.

“He got a knee to the neck area and he was down for like 20 or 30 minutes,” said Nieuwenhuis, who was at the game. “He wasn’t moving much and they took him off on a stretcher and took him to the hospital.”

Many Unity Christian students gathered at a local church on Wednesday night.

“I got word that we were meeting at Chapel Pointe Church in Hudsonville,” Nieuwenhuis said. “I’m like ‘I need to be there to pray for my friend.’ I showed up and there was probably 300 people there praying for him and his family.”

Jake Chapman, the son of Chad and Rachel Chapman, lives in Byron Center.

His mother posted this on her Instagram on Wednesday:

“Tonight at about 6:30 pm Jake lost consciousness and his heart stopped.. We don't not know why. We are unsure if it's related to his recent concussion (seizure) or a viral infection that went to his heart or something else. It's way too soon to know.. Chad's quick thinking to open Jakes airway and begin CPR and then the EMTs arriving within 4 minutes of my frantic call to 911 with an AED, saved Jake's live.”

She said Jake is at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.

Rachel Chapman posted an update via Instagram on her son on Thursday.

“Jake is stable at this point. For that we are so grateful. It's a miracle, really. … He's still on the ventilator. He is still heavily sedated, but we see glimpses that he knows were here. The most miraculous thing is when Neuro did his exam. Jake was able to squeeze my hand on command, and when I asked him if he knew how much I loved him, he actually shook his head yes ever slightly. Best moment of my life to see that. This momma pleaded with God all night long for that - for some brain activity that would help me know he was still in there. He is.”

Unity Christian’s Jake Chapman during football practice in August 2023. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).