Brandon And My Near Heart Attack

My son Brandon almost stopped my heart Thursday night.
Yukon Independence Middle School 8th grade was playing PC Capps Middle School at Miller Pride Stadium in Yukon.

The 7:30 kick-off happened at about 8:55, DOH!
At the end of the 1st half Yukon IMS was up 32-0. It was a country butt whooping. During the entire game both teams were, shall we say, frisky. Personal fouls, late hits, coaches yelling at officials, parents yelling at officials, and players getting a little dirty with the play. A recipe for a straight up brawl.

During the second half of the game the IMS team was pretty much just trying to run out the clock. It was a blow out and they wanted to get the game over asap. Capps Middle School; previously named Central Middle School, was the school I USED to teach at, decided to get a little nasty. They started running their mouths on the field and they tried to sneakily start fights. Our coaches decided they wanted to score and shut them up.

THIS is where my son gets heavily involved. Brandon had played well all night. He had several tackles playing Line Backer and had caught several passes as Wide Reciever. His number was called again on a 3rd and 9 play. He runs a simple up and out route to the sideline and is thrown the ball. Brandon makes the catch, in heavy traffic, and breaks up the field for about a 15 yard gain.

Then came the tackle. It was a clean, honest and legitimate tackle. It was also made by the 12th man on the field. Yes, they were playing with 12 players. For at least 3 straight plays 12 players were on defense. I swear that I saw 13 on one play.

Brandon was undercut in an odd fashion and he fell at an equally odd angle. Straight down with his head smashing into the ground. His head took the full force of the impact from the ground.

None of the parents knew anything was wrong. After the play we high-fived the great catch and run and we resumed talking. After a moment we looked over and saw a player down. We couldn't tell who it was. I started to look for B and couldn't find him until I saw him lying on the ground. the down player was B. After a minute the other teams coaches frantically waved our coaches over. That was my first clue that something was wrong. B is a tough kid and I thought he had just had the breath knocked out of him, but our coaches had to cross the field to check on him.

He was down for several minutes.
He got up. He fell down. The coach picked him up and put him over his shoulder and carried him off the field.

When I saw B get picked up I KNEW ther was a problem. B's tough.
I had seen enough and I QUICKLY mad my way to the sideline where they had laid him on the bench.

Brandon was clearly in agony and they were removing his helmet. The principal had called an ambulance and we were told he had injured his neck.
At this point I thought I was going to loose it right there on the sideline.

Players were crying. The parents of B's friends had us surrounded and they were about to loose it. My son Ryan was so distraught he fainted.

By the time the ambulance got their the game had ended and we watched as the EMT's cut off my sons jersey and shoulder pads. I have never felt more helpless in my entire life.

We arrived at the hospital and wheeled immediately into the trauma unit. Again, I was helpless as the team of doctors and nurses swarmed over Brandon. Again, they cut off any remaining clothes and my baby lay naked on the table. They had the decency to cover him with a blanket as they worked on him. Checking reflexes and muscle controls. We were very worried that at the field he could not grip with his left hand. He could move some but he could not grip.

MANY x-rays were taken and a CT-scan was made. 2 IV's had been started and pain meds were given. And my baby lay on a table and I could only watch.

It is at moments like this that decisions are made. Deals are pled for with God. Others are made with the devil. I am frequently told, like most husbands I think, that my job is more important than my family. Come to find out I agree with her.

The outcome is pretty good. There was no permenant damage done. No bone structures were damaged at all and there is no internal bleeding. He does have whiplash encompassing the entire neck region, ligament damage, and a concussion. He is in a neck brace for at least a week and is out for the remainder of the football season.

My boy is going to be ok!

Being out for the season is a big deal to him. Football is his life. It's what he does and he does it well.

My boy is going to be ok!

I know for me there will be changes made. I always say that my family comes first. That has not been true. It felt good to say but it was not true. It will be now.

My career will come later down the list of priorities. I have had a general lust for career advancement. Family advancement is FAR more important.

My boy is going to be Ok!