Thank you all for your comments. Suzycakes found a prayer shawl for Scott, yes it is the same boy on the news, and a young lady from Bakersfield (4 hours away) came on Sunday and delivered it at the hospital. My husband and I met her there and gave the shawl to Scott. Unfortunately the parents were not present, they were at the prayer vigil at school along with most of the student body, and several students from schools as far as 30 minutes away. The support has been amazing.

Scott is still in a coma, it's true the videos show nothing, but they do warm up before the game and he could have sustained the injury then. Then the 'normal' hits would have just made it worse until he collapsed.

I firmly believe in prayer and miracles. Thank you all. I'll keep you updated.

Sweetflowers, thanks for keeping us updated. I hold my breath everytime I see that you've posted something new, fearing the worst. But we are all praying so hard for this young man! ...It almost sounds like a stroke, with the disorientation, and then gradually going downhill to a coma. I really pray they can find the cause of whatever has happened and fix it!

We wish we knew the cause. We only know it was definitely a severe concussion. The doctors did brain surgery immediately when he was brought to the hospital so they pretty much know it wasn't a stroke or some other pre-existing condition.

You all should have seen the prayer vigil, there were high schoolers there from all over with their jerseys on, even 'rival' schools. It was a miracle in itself and very heartwarming.

If any of you want to see Scott, his picture is in the local paper. You can look up articles on www.nctimes.com . That's our local paper and they keep on top of things. Unfortunately they aren't always completely accurate.

Thank you for keeping us posted. I am still praying for Scott daily, my heart breaks for everyone who knows him.

found this link
http://www.sanmarcospopwarner.org/

This is scary it was just on the news that a boy here in Washington is in the hospital after a game last Friday. He started stumbling on the field made eye contact with one of the coaches and collapsed on the field. He had a blood clot
they said they never saw him get hit. He did open his eyes today.

seriously I don't think they should play football until college because all those little kids are not mature enough to realize the dangers of that game, they don't have to get hit to be seriously injured just a hard fall can cause injure like that they get shaken real hard, also they are in a big risk of serious infection if the equipment is not properly sanitazed andI mean life treathening infection, they also get pushed beyond by some couches that just wan a win they some times don't care about how they feel or if they are on pain wich can lead to serious injure,again not everywhere is like that but it happens very often that is why I think football should not be for underage boys.

mxdiva, thank you for that link!! The email he wrote to his parents before the tragedy just sent chils up my spine and set my hair on end!! Just goes to show that God knows what He is doing, even when we don't.
The odds of getting seriously hurt in football are remarkably low. There was an article in the San Diego Union Tribune the first week that put all the numbers in perspective. We definitely see more children hurt from falling out of second-story windows each year than from serious sports injuries. I'm a nurse at a children's hospital in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Your child's chances of getting hurt on his bike, skateboard or other wheeled toy is much larger. Scotty's injury is very rare. While I can't even begin to speculate on his injuries, I can tell you that we see otherwise normal kids every month who have some sort of previously unknown brain anomaly, which aren't as rare as you'd think, which manifests with a child in a coma when it bursts or bleeds. Something like that could be exacerbated by a contact sport.
All I know is that kids are very resilient, and the technology and tools we have to treat and rehabilitate people who suffer from head trauma has never been better. Most of all, The Big Guy Upstairs is hearing all of the prayers.

I wonder how Scotty is....

me too.... there is a whole article in the current people magazine about high school boys getting seriously hurt (head injuries) while playing. I thought about him the whole time I read it.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/preps/20070928-9999-bn28eveland.html
Latest article from the San Diego Union-Trib.

thank you Priscilla

I'm sorry I have been away from the computer.

The article Priscilla put up is pretty accurate. From what Scott's step dad has told us, his right and back of his brain are heavily damaged. One doctor had recommended pulling the plug, but the other doctor said there was a chance (slight chance) he could pull through. So the family will give Scott the chance, he's a fighter.

I firmly believe the prayers are helping him heal and provide a miracle and support for this family. My husband will be at the hospital today so I will update again when he returns.

Thank you all.

Update:

My husband went to the hospital yesterday and Scott is still in a coma. He is breathing on his own now, they took him off the ventilator. When my husband held his hand he asked Scott to resist and he did. He keep hooking his finger onto my husbands hand, but became agitated so the nurse had to give him a shot.

I'm very worried about his brain damage and what part of his personality will be left for us so I continue to pray.

Suze, my husband has noticed they have opened the prayer shawl, although Scott's chest is not covered for medical reasons, it does look like they are using it.

Please keep Scott and his family in your prayers. Thanks.

wow, it does look like he's doing better at least. I don't know much about it or anything but I would think that if he's understanding your husband and able to squeeze his hand...

He has such a wonderful community praying for him, from the looks of those newspaper articles. What a wonderful gesture

LaSombra, although I think getting off the ventilator is improvement, unfortunately his arms moving and giving pressure to my husbands hand are just reflexive. It just shows that he probably won't be paralyzed in his arms. I wish it were more optimistic.

The doctors still only give him a 5% chance to live, I guess when you have severe head injury that causes a coma, most people don't survive. However, he's young and strong and has so many people praying for him, I think his chances are much better.

We see kids like this at my work all of the time, unfortunately. Whatever happens, Scotty's will be a hard row to hoe. At best, chances are that he will not be the same person. He will need to re-learn basic skills, if he is able to do so. Things like walking, talking, potty training, dressing yourself, etc. Sweetflowers, did the doctor's induce the coma, or was it spontaneous? One of the treatments for severe head injuries can be to induce a coma, which decreases the oxygen consumption of the brain, helping to protect what hasn't been damaged.
Head trauma is a very complicated and unpredictable injury.
I've nursed kids who have had huge insults to the brain and have come back to hug me before they leave the hospital. (Little guy got hit by a motor vehicle while walking on a sidewalk, went forehead-first into the pavement. He will be in physical therapy for months, buy will be able to play soccer again!) We've also had kids who have fallen from a ledge or chair who didn't make it.
My heart really hurts for his parents. I surely wouldn't want to be in their shoes. I don't think anyone should have to be. There will be many difficult, if not impossible, decisions to be made. I pray that God willl be with them and help them to do what is best for their son.

Sweetflowers -

I'm still watching your thread and keeping
Scotty and his family in my prayers. I pray that his family realizes that each stitch of the prayer shawl is stitched with love and prayer - and there are thousands of stitches in each prayer shawl. Plus you have the power of the CC prayer chain for Scotty too!

Remember - our God is an Awesome God!!

Suze

Suze, I love that song!

We did let the parents know what is behind the making of the shawl, but only through voice message on the phone. Needless to say he's got the phone off most of the time (can't have it on in the hospital) and has so many messages to return. We haven't heard from them yet. But we did see it was being used!

Unfortunately Scott was in the coma before he got to the hospital. Although the papers said it was drug induced, it wasn't.

My husband said Diane (his mom) was lamenting the fact the school didn't have an ambulance at the field (which most schools have during football games), so it took too long for them to signal one and get him to the hospital, precious time they needed.

I thought schools were required to have an ambulance at football games?
My heart just aches for this young man and his family and friends.
I will continue praying for him.

I have been to several football games this year where there is no ambulance especially J.V. and junior high. Also I know football insurance is the parents problem but, did you know a lot of schools don't carry insurance for the students? My son broke his leg in P.E. and had to have surgery, $10,000 later we almost have it payed for.

At our high school where Scott goes, it is a secondary insurance, a good option for those that have no health insurance at all. But it is limited and doesn't cover that much. This is why there are so many donations being made by the other high schools for Scott's family. I don't even what to think of what his bills could be if leg surgery is $10,000, what is brain surgery? Plus critical care, life support etc for the 2 weeks he's been there.

By the way, my husband said when there were a group of people in there talking his eyes were moving around. Strange, I didn't know your eyes could be open and moving when in a coma.

Update.

My husband talked with the step dad and mom. The doctor's are still trying to convince the family to pull the plug. They say if he comes out of the coma, he will have the mind of a 2 to 4 year old.

Step dad and mom are saying they will not kill their son.

This is such a very sad situation, but I have to agree with the parents. The doctors could be wrong, people have made amazing progress that the doctors can't explain. Even if they are right, the parents are willing to accept it. And I believe all the prayers are helping this family and Scott survive.

Thank you for the update, sweetflowers. I am very saddened by the prognosis.
While I am a firm believer in miracles, I'm a mom to one of them, I just see too many cases like this at work.
What I would have to ask as a parent, is, would my child want to live their life completely dependent on others, unable to do basic life skills, living in a diaper? (I know I wouldn't.) I couldn't do that to my children, especially after they have tasted autonomy. It is each person's decision, but I wonder how many parents do it because they are too selfish to let their child go, rather than putting the child's needs first. Being able to go to Heaven and be free of a mind and body that are confining is a miracle, too.
Infection, pneumonia and bedsores are what do these kids in, in the long run. We see it all the time, they end up on a breathing machine, until the infection finally does them in. They also require 24 hour care, diaper changes, turning every two hours to prevent bedsores, often tube feedings if they cannot swallow well enough, lots of medications to help with the stiffening of the muscles from disuse, as well as other meds. Even the most steadfast and stoic caretaker feels overwhelmed at times. I wish it were possible to show these parents the lives of other parents as caretakers. I don't think they fully understand all that is involved, especially when the injury happens as a baby or toddler. Baby diaper changes are much different from tube-fed adult diaper changes.
Whatever Scott's family decides, I will pray for strength for them, as well as for Scott. Whatever way this goes, they will need it. This is so sad. Whatever happens, we mourn the loss of Scott as he was.

Any news on how Scott is doing ?

I was wondering this yesterday. I was a little afraid to ask...still hoping for the best, tho.

Found this:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/preps/football/20071011-9999-1s11p-player.html

Here is where I got it from:

http://www.pray4scotty.org/index.html

Basically, he was upgraded from critical to serious....no big neurological improvements, but nothing getting worse either. Sounds like there is a chance for improvement, though.

They have a guestbook on there to sign too.