GoFundMe Page Set Up For Nashua South Coach After Heart Attack

NASHUA, NH — The Nashua community is rallying around longtime Nashua South High football assistant coach Bill Monsen, who suffered a massive heart attack on Thanksgiving Day.

Monsen, a 2005 Nashua North grad, is at St. Joseph Hospital. Reports on a GoFundMe page suggest Monsen continues to face several health challenges, though "EKGs show that his heart continues to improve."

The GoFundMe page was created over the weekend by Monsen's sister-in-law Jenna Godin, to help "Bill and his family cover the costs of his road to recovery." The page includes a photo of Monsen, his wife Taylor and their 18-month-old son Finn.

As of Tuesday night, the page had received 592 donations and raised $48,912 of its $50,000 goal.

"On Thanksgiving morning, my brother-in-law Bill Monsen suffered a massive heart attack," Godin wrote on the page. "Against all odds, the staff at St. Joseph Hospital were able to revive him after an extensive battle.

"After saving Bill's life, his doctor remarked that Bill's survival was 'truly a miracle.' However, there is still a long journey ahead for Bill in the ICU and beyond."

Nashua South football coach Scott Knight told Patch that he was not surprised to see an outpouring of support for Monsen, who previously spent 10 years as the Nashua South boys lacrosse coach and is a popular social studies teacher at the school.

"When you've been coaching that long ... he's got hundreds of kids he's coached in lacrosse, hundreds of kids he's coached in football, then he's got all the kids he's taught, there are friends, and friends of friends ..." Knight said. "People are rallying around him, everybody is helping out, which is really awesome."

Knight said he visited Monsen on Friday in the ICU, but said Monsen was heavily sedated.

"It wasn't the type of visit where you're hanging out. We went over there to see him and check in on Taylor and make sure she is doing okay," Knight said. "We're hoping that eventually, he'll have some visitors. But right now, we're just waiting ... and praying for him."