Photo Credit: Courtesy of NAYS
Thirteen-year-old Zack Lystedt lay on the football field just before halftime, clutching both sides of his helmet; his head had struck the ground while tackling an opponent.
He went to the sidelines for the final three plays of the half, but he was back on the field for the start of the third quarter. His life was in jeopardy. At the end of the game, he collapsed on the field and was airlifted to a local hospital.
Zack underwent emergency surgery to remove the left and right side of his skull to relieve the pressure from his injured and swelling brain. He endured seven days on a ventilator, three months in a coma, four weeks in a nursing home, two months in a children’s hospital and 20 months on a feeding tube.