ATLANTA — The family of a boy who collapsed at soccer practice is asking for prayers as he fights for his life.
Aidan Heath's mother and grandmother have been here by his side at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston for eight days now and they say they'll be there until the day he is ready to come home.
Doctors have told them to prepare for the worst but they told WSB-TV that prayers from all around the world have helped them keep their faith. Aidan’s family said that the boy is not one to quit on anything, let alone the fight for his life.
“That’s the most hard-headed kid you’ll ever meet in your life. It does not surprise me that he is still fighting,” Aidan's grandmother Peggy Moore said.
They laugh about the kind of kid Aidan was before he collapsed at soccer practice and they pray he can laugh with them once he wakes up from a coma.
“Everything goes through my mind. Will I ever hear him talk again? Will I ever see him smile again?” Aidan's mother Ashley Heath said.
Aidan has been at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston since Sept. 8.
Moore said she watched Aidan have what appeared to be a seizure at the Cherokee outdoor family YMCA soccer fields in Woodstock, Georgia.
“We turned him over and the coach started CPR and I started breathing for him,” Moore told Johnson.
It was around 7 p.m. so the family said doctors have ruled out a heat issue but they say no one knows why exactly he's not waking up.
“They have all kinds of different tests they’ve run, nothing's come up” said Ashley Heath.
The family said whenever doctors try and test for brain death, Aidan shows signs of life that postpones the test.
A Facebook page called Prayers for Aidan has more than 7,000 people in it and the family said the support means everything.
“That really helps us in our hope and our faith too, just a little bit more,” uncle Jamie Heath told Johnson.
The family has set up an online fundraiser through Paypal. They say people can donate by using the email prayersforaidanheath@gmail.com.
"The YMCA Family is profoundly saddened by this tragic situation," the YMCA said in a statement to WSB-TV. "We are keeping Aidan and his family in our thoughts and prayers. We remain in close contact with them and are providing as much support and encouragement as possible."
Cox Media Group
