FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — An 18-year-old is recovering after a medical emergency during basketball practice led to a life-threatening diagnosis that required emergency open-heart surgery.
Jackson Scarborough was attending basketball practice Monday when he suddenly began experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing. His coaching staff and athletic trainer quickly recognized the seriousness of the situation, contacted his mother, and called emergency medical services.
“He called me and said, ‘Mom, I’m in the trainer’s room. I’m having a hard time breathing.’ The trainer got on the phone and said Jackson was having chest pains and breathing issues and that they were calling EMS to have him evaluated,” Jackson’s mother, Joanna, recalled.
At the hospital, doctors diagnosed Jackson with an aortic dissection, a rare and potentially fatal condition in which a tear develops in the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s main artery. According to the Mayo Clinic, blood can force its way through the tear, causing the layers of the artery to separate. Without immediate treatment, the condition can quickly become life-threatening.
Less than 30 minutes after Jackson’s first symptoms appeared, surgeons told the family he needed emergency open-heart surgery.
“We went, and he was very scared. Panicking. We didn’t have a whole lot of time,” Joanna said.
Jackson underwent a nine-hour operation. Joanna said she was amazed by the speed and coordination of the medical team that assembled to save her son’s life.
“To see every step of the way was just amazing. I can’t believe there are surgeons that know how to do this and could assemble a whole OR team to be ready to go for a nine-hour surgery on the drop of a dime,” she said.
Doctors told the family that Jackson’s condition carried only about a 10 percent survival rate, making the quick response by his coaches, trainer, EMS crews and hospital staff critical.
Now, Joanna hopes others will take chest pain seriously and seek emergency medical care immediately.
“If you have chest pain, it’s an emergency and you need to get to the hospital,” she said. “I wouldn’t have reacted the way this coaching staff reacted. It’s a big deal.”
Jackson remains in the intensive care unit, where he is beginning the long road to recovery. His hospital room has been filled with cards, gifts and messages of encouragement from friends, family and supporters.
“We’re still in the ICU, but we’re getting him to walk. We’re getting him to move as quickly as possible,” Joanna said.
Although his recovery is far from over, his family says Jackson is making steady progress and is grateful for the swift actions that helped save his life.
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