A Georgia high school baseball star was declared brain dead after a teammate accidentally hit him in the head with a bat during a routine practice session at the end of November.
Jeremy Medina, an 18-year-old standout pitcher and catcher at Gainesville High School, was hit in the head on November 20 and has been hospitalized in a coma ever since.
His family confirmed this week that he will be taken off life support and become an organ donor.
A baseball prospect who already had a college scholarship
Shattered manager Jamie Green told local media that Medina leaned on the netting of a batting cage while a teammate was hitting balls.
“As the player followed through on his swing, Jeremy leaned into the net and was struck in the head,” Green confirmed.
“There was no horseplay, misconduct or intent.”
The manager revealed Medina’s fate to his stunned teammates in a private meeting on Wednesday, and counsellors have been made available to comfort the shocked students.
Medina‘s family said he already had a scholarship offer to play college baseball before the tragedy.
The local community supported the teenager since the incident, with a local sign asking residents to “Pray for Jeremy” as his prognosis turned grim.
Medina was a devout Christian who hoped to become a youth minister while pursuing his dreams in baseball, according to his father, David.
“Our strength, my family’s strength, my strength from day one has been rooted in the most amazing power of Jesus Christ,” Medina‘s father said.
“Some don’t even know my son, they don’t even know my family, but they stand with us in prayer and support us at this time.”
Doctors said Medina was unable to recover from the blow that immediately knocked him unconscious.
“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,” Dr Michael Cormican, director of surgical critical care at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, told Fox 5.