33-year old Tom Sparks, a competitor on the ABC reality series, Wipeout, died on November 5th, 2009. During an October filming session for episodes of the show scheduled to air next year, Sparks and his wife were competing when Sparks began to complain of knee pain. During an on-the-set examination by staff medical specialists, it was also noted that Sparks was experiencing shortness of breath. Filming was immediately halted, and Sparks was transported to a local hospital.
Sparks suffered a stroke while in the hospital, and underwent several brain surgeries at Cedars Sinai before he died. While the cause of death will not be released until an extensive autopsy is performed, doctors discovered that Sparks suffered from antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. APS is a rare autoimmune disorder that results in frequent blood clotting, and is often seen in patients suffering from lupus, but can also appear on its own
Wipeout is a competitive reality series on which contestants athletically compete in outrageous obstacle courses. Extensive screening, testing and background investigation is required before contestants are approved to compete on the series, and it is likely that had Sparks been diagnosed with APS prior to trying out for the competition, he would have been turned down.
There is no evidence that Sparks’ death was the result of his injury during competition. The staff of Wipeout did everything in the power to assist Sparks, and sends out their condolences to his family.
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