It’s not a comeback that will get tons of publicity, but Isaiah Kyle, a sophomore high jumper at Wingate, doesn’t mind talking about it.
Among the 900 or so athletes competing at the JDL Fast Track on Saturday in the Wake Forest Invitational, Kyle was probably the most appreciative of his surroundings. Five months ago, Kyle suffered cardiac arrest that landed him in a coma for four days.
On Sept. 6, 2016, Kyle was training on the track at Wingate when he collapsed.
“He actually doesn’t remember what happened and has about a three-week gap in his memory,” said his mother, Jacqueline, while waiting for her son to compete for the first time since a defibrillator was used to keep him alive.
After an alert football trainer used the heart defibrillator on Kyle to keep his heart beating, paramedics arrived shortly after and rushed him to the hospital. Kyle, an athletic 19-year-old from Morristown, Tenn., stayed in the hospital for 12 days, and his athletic future was very much in doubt.
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Gary, who is Kyle’s father, says to see his son come all the way back and compete again is miraculous.
“By all rights and reason, he was clinically dead,” Gary said. “And to see him happy again and out here doing what he loves is nothing short of a miracle. His mom and I are so grateful for how Wingate has treated our son and our family, and I can’t say enough about the doctors who have been there for us.”
Jacqueline remembers all too well what doctors said about their son’s recovery.
While fighting back tears, she said: “They said it was a 50-50 chance when he came to if he was even going to be able to function or if he would remember us at all. They told us to be prepared but when he woke up the first person he said hello to was me.”
When Kyle finally got his chance to jump late Saturday afternoon at JDL, he didn’t disappoint. He easily cleared 6-8 but came up empty on his three attempts at clearing 6-10.
Coach Travis LaFlore was all smiles afterward because Kyle was back on the track.
“It’s incredible,” LaFlore said. “I told him four or five months ago none of this was even possible. Now he’s almost qualified for nationals after two days of practice so that kind of shows you what kind of talent this kid has.”
Kyle is now equipped with a small defibrillator implanted under his skin to monitor his heart. It’s a safeguard to protect him in case of another issue.
When Kyle missed out on his third and final attempt at 6-10, he neither hung his head nor looked disappointed. He got several hugs from teammates and said he realized this was a milestone in his comeback.
“I was pumped to be out there again,” Kyle said. “A lot of people thought I’d never be back out here again. But I wanted to get back to jumping because it’s my passion.”
Kyle, who had a B-plus average during the first semester despite his time in the hospital, said he has a different outlook on life.
“Don’t get me wrong. It was a life-changing experience with what I went through,” Kyle said. “I think my outlook is a little different and I’m more appreciative of everything. I never thought sports would be taken away from me and it nearly was.”
Kyle would love to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships but now he’s also looking ahead to earning his degree and has even thought about life after college.
“There’s a lot of things I want to do outside of track like raising a family and all of that, and I wasn’t thinking about that as a 19-year-old until this happened,” Kyle said. “I’ve kind of thought a lot more of down the road because you can’t take life for granted. Every day is a gift and I’m proof of that.”
Kyle’s mom and dad have been to countless track meets through the years but Saturday’s will stand out.
“I’ll remember this meet for the rest of my life because he’s made it all the way back,” Jacqueline said. “We’re very proud and very blessed.”