A high school baseball player in Georgia who was left in a coma for three weeks by a batting cage accident died on Tuesday, his family announced.
18-year-old Jeremy Medina, a pitcher and catcher for Gainesville High School, was accidentally hit in the head by a teammate’s baseball bat last month.
When he was declared brain dead by doctors last Wednesday, his family said they hoped to donate his organs in accordance with his wishes, they said in on a Facebook page dedicated to him.
“We began the process of seeking a visa for his grandmother so she could travel to be with us for the honor walk,” his family wrote. “Sadly, his heart stopped last night about an hour before grandma arrived.”
An honor walk is a ceremony used to commemorate a patient whose organs are being donated. Medina’s ceremony was to take place at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where he was a patient.
The Gainesville City School System posted a tribute video for Medina on X last Wednesday, when he was declared brain dead.
“The life of Jeremy Medina will forever impact the lives of our entire community. His passing will mean renewed life for many others as an organ donor,” the post said.
Medina’s family has been sharing information about their son on a Facebook page and website dedicated in his honor. In a video shared on the Facebook page, David Medina told a Univision 34 Atlanta reporter that his family does not blame the boy whose baseball bat hit his son.
“I was able to go and hug that boy and tell him that we understand that he didn’t have the bad intention to hurt my son, but that it was an accident,” David Medina told Univision 34 Atlanta.
Medina’s family told NBC News affiliate in Atlanta 11 Alive that he dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player and a youth minister.
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