Boy survives after hit by foul ball, heart stops

Boy survives after heart stops when he is hit with foul ball. Screen shot via Fox News.

It was the top of the fourth inning during a Little League game at Michael J. Tighe Park in Freehold Township, New Jersey. Sean Neely, 12, was playing catcher when a foul ball struck him in the chest and he went into cardiac arrest.

Two coaches and two nurses that happened to be present jumped to action. Coaches Steve Crowley and Michael Slessinger and nurses Maureen Gugliotta and Sue Portaleos performed CPR and miraculously brought life back to Sean.

Candy Neely, Sean’s mother, told Fox News, “He was just laying there, not moving, blue in the face, eyes rolled in the back of his head.…If they weren’t there and hadn’t acted at the right time, Sean wouldn’t be here today.”

According to the News Transcript in Freehold, Sean was then sent to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold where doctors had him airlifted to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Sean was admitted to CHOP on May 12 and released on May 14 after making a full recovery.

Fox News reports that Sean had suffered from commotio cordis which is caused by a sudden blow to the chest. Those who suffer commotio cordis only have a 15 percent survival rate. Sean was wearing a properly fitted chest protector at the time of his accident according to the News Transcript. The quick administration of CPR saved Sean’s life.

Sean’s accident has not deterred him from his love of baseball. He is anxiously waiting to return to baseball but has not been released to do so yet.

Sean’s parents have expressed their gratitude to the men and women who saved Sean. They stated, “Words cannot express our thanks for the quick action of those who saved our boy. They need to be recognized as heroes.”