Yahoo Finance 16-Year-Old from Idaho Suffers Cardiac Arrest While Weightlifting, Has Short-Term Memory Loss
Getty
A 16-year-old boy from Eagle, Idaho, has short-term memory loss after suffering from cardiac arrest while weightlifting.
Travis Johnston was working out with friends at a gym on Sunday when he went into cardiac arrest, according to a GoFundMe page set up in his honor to help his family cover medical costs.
After Johnston was brought to the hospital and resuscitated, he went into a coma for two days.
Since coming out of the coma, the high school junior is suffering from "severe delirium" and is "extremely confused." The fundraising page states that "his short-term memory is lasting for approximately 30 min."
Doctors are suggesting the teen will remain in the hospital for at least another week as they continue to monitor him and perform more tests. The GoFundMe page notes that doctors "do not have answers as to what exactly may have cause[d]" Johnston's condition.
RELATED: Teen Undergoes Emergency Surgery After Getting USB Cord Stuck in His Penis
Speaking with CBS 2, the boy's mother, Mandy Roberts, said, "I've never cried so much in my life."
"I feel like this is just a bad dream. You imagine your children getting hurt in sports like normal kids. ACL surgery sucked but that was something we thought might happen. Even a concussion," she continued. "Cardiac arrest is not something, especially just going into the gym. There's no possible way as a parent to prepare yourself to make sure your children are safe from something like that."
Johnston's best friend Deegan Martinho, who was with him when the incident occurred, described the moment when his friend fell ill: "The hardest part for me was watching my best friend practically die," he told CBS 2.
Alexa Arlint, another one of Johnston's friends, also told the outlet, "He has a lot of people in his corner," adding, "There's people helping him. And even though he may not feel like it sometimes, everyone loves him and he's very supported right now."
The GoFundMe page will help "his family during this tragic time of unforeseen health and financial crisis," a statement on the fundraising page says.
