A high school baseball star from Georgia has been declared brain-dead after a teammate accidentally hit him in the head with a bat during a routine practice session late last month.
Jeremy Medina, an 18-year-old standout at Gainesville High School, was struck in the head on Nov. 20 and has been hospitalized in a coma ever since.
His family confirmed this week that he will be removed from life support and become an organ donor.
Shattered principal Jamie Green told local outlets that Medina leaned into a batting cage net while a teammate was hitting balls.
“As a player followed through on his swing, Jeremy leaned into the net and was struck in the head,” Green said. “There is no horseplay, no misconduct and no intent.”
The administrator revealed Medina’s fate to his stunned teammates in a private meeting Wednesday, and counselors have been made available to comfort shocked students.
Medina’s family said he had a scholarship offer to play college baseball before the tragedy.
The local community rallied around the teen since the incident, with a local billboard asking residents to “Pray for Jeremy” as his prognosis grew bleak.
Medina was a devout Christian who hoped to become a youth minister while pursuing his baseball dreams, according to his father, David.
“Our strength, my family’s strength, my strength since day one has been rooted in the most amazing power of Jesus Christ,” the elder Medina said. “(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.”
Doctors said Medina was unable to recover from the blow that immediately rendered 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,” said Dr. Michael Cormican, the director of Surgical Critical Care at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, according to Fox 5.
The senior was a catcher and a pitcher.