While athletics can be a strong suit and a life-altering stance in one’s life, an irreparable injury might occur when you are least expecting it. One injury and everything in life is upturned.
The Northeast Georgia Medical Center, with consent from parents and medical examiners, announced that a 17-year-old boy named Jeremy Medina has been brain-dead for nearly two weeks after a freak accident inside a batting cage during his high school baseball team’s practice.
According to People who analyzed the information from outlets, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11Alive.com, and local Fox 5, Medina’s wishes will be fulfilled when his organs are donated. The brain-dead condition came to be on November 20 when a teammate’s baseball bat struck Medina on the head while the players were doing hitting drills inside their Gainesville High School athletic facility.
Dr. Michael Cormican said at a news conference Wednesday, “The initial trauma to his head was significant and caused him to lose consciousness and as he lost consciousness, he lost his ability to maintain his airway.” Following this, on Wednesday morning, an announcement by Gainesville High School principal Jamie Green stated that Medina had been officially proclaimed brain-dead, and his family had decided to go ahead with donating his organs.
The Gainesville City School System additionally said in a statement on social media, “The life of Jeremy Medina will forever impact the lives of our entire community,” adding, “His passing will mean renewed life for many others as an organ donor. Please continue to pray for the Medina family.” Several people came in support, with one user commenting under the post, “Every baseball parent in America is praying for this family right now,” adding, “Our hearts are broken.”
Per People, Medina was a senior and played pitcher and catcher on the school’s baseball team while also maintaining excellence in school grades and having a balanced family life. Medina’s father, David, recently told 11Alive.com, “Every time I will tell him, ‘You know that not everyone can be like playing sports, working and doing what you do and be able to keep up the grades. Do you know that?’ (He says) ‘Dad, I don’t know, I’m just being me.'”
Additionally, David also thanked the community for their unbridled support after his son’s passing at this Wednesday’s conference. He said, “Our strength, my family’s strength, my strength since day one has been rooted in the most amazing power of Jesus Christ,” adding, “(Some well-wishers) don’t even know my son, don’t even know my family, but they’re together with us in prayer and support us in this moment.”