13-Year-Old Baseball Player Goes into Cardiac Arrest During Game in North Carolina

• A 13-year-old baseball player went into cardiac arrest during a game in Charlotte, N.C.,on Saturday, May 16

• An off-duty police officer performed CPR on the teen following the medical emergency

• He’s recovering in the hospital with his mom posting updates to Facebook on his progress

A 13-year-old baseball player is recovering in the hospital after going into cardiac arrest during a game in North Carolina on Saturday, May 16.

Bryson Blanton of Rowan County was rounding second base in Charlotte when he fell to the ground, according to local Fox affiliate WGHP.

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“You’re worried about your son,” Randy Blanton, Bryson’s father, told WGHP, “You’re worried about, ‘What do I need to do to be there for him, support him?’ ”

“We always say no parent should have to see their child this way but let’s talk about grandparents. This breaks my heart- this is my mamas ‘little man’ when he was only 6lbs 5oz this was her little man,” Bryson’s mother, Samantha Blanton, wrote in a Monday, May 18, Facebook post about her mother visiting Bryson. Later in the post, Samantha said Bryson responded to her mother, adding, “She asked for him to squeeze her hand and he most certainly did. My boys listening and he’s fighting!”

His parents thanked the off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer who ran in to perform CPR after Bryson collapsed, according to local CBS outlet WJZY.

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The CPR went on for six to eight minutes during the game, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser created following the medical emergency. After CPR was administered, he was revived by being electrically shocked.

In the GoFundMe, the organizer said Bryson had been put on a ventilator.

Doctors had “removed the stomach tube that was removing the blood he had swallowed (due to cpr) from his stomach and replaced it with a feeding tube!” Samantha wrote in a later update on Monday evening.

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Dusty Safrit, Bryson’s former 8/9-under baseball coach, put together an event and with the help of the community, created decals saying “Bryson Strong” as another way to raise money for the family, reports WJZY.

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As for Bryson’s strength, his dad his son’s little movements while hospitalized gives him hope.

“Every time you talk to him, he’s moving his hands…letting us know he’s here… He hears us, that’s for sure,” Randy told WJZY.

In her most recent update on Thursday, May 21, Samantha said Bryson had been awake “off and on” and is “able to respond when being told to take deep breaths.” He is taking the water pill Lasix to remove fluid from around his lungs. Samantha expressed hope that his condition will continue to improve.

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