Boy, 6, goes into cardiac arrest after being hit in chest by baseball

24 March 2024 , 22:25

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Oscar was back to himself after a day's rest

A six-year-old boy was saved by his quick-to-act mum after going into cardiac arrest during a baseball game.

Young Oscar Stuebe was hit in the chest by a ball during the game, causing him to suffer commotio cordis, a rare condition that nearly killed NFL star Damar Hamlin. However, seeing her son’s condition, Sarah Stuebe rushed onto the field and gave him CPR within three minutes of the incident.

Oscar had been asked to fill in for his brother during a little league game in Lake Worth, Florida when he attempted to catch the ball. It was immediately clear something was wrong, however, as he fell to the ground the moment the ball hit his chest.

“Initially, it seemed he got the wind knocked out of him, but in seconds, Riley and the other coaches on the field realised it was more serious,” his mum, who is a nurse, wrote online. She said she will “never forget” hearing Oscar’s dad call her name. Both Sarah and Oscar’s father were unable to find a pulse as their son began seizing.

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Oscar was filling in for his older brother at the game

Oscar's mum and dad remained by his side during his hospital stay

Speaking to NBC, the boy’s father, Riley, said: “Everything was stiff. His fingers were stiff, his hands were stiff, his arms were stiff. You could tell he was not in control of his body.” Sarah added: “He went lifeless. His eyes were rolling in the back of his head. He turned grey. He started gasping.”

Upon their arrival, paramedics rushed Oscar to St Mary’s Medical Center where he awoke disoriented the next day. Despite the shock incident, Oscar was quickly back to himself, his mum revealed.

Oscar will wear a chest guard next time he's on the field

Sarah said: “Sleep apparently was the best medicine. He woke up and was like, ‘Hi, Mom!’ And it was him. We were told not to get his heart rate up — a little difficult with three other brothers at home,” she joked. Baseball, along with lacrosse, is one of the sports with the highest risk of commotio cordis and Sarah has now called for all Little League players to be equipped with chest guards.

The social media post (sarahstuebe/Instagram)

"We said, 'Whether you're in the backyard, at a friend's house, on the field ... you're wearing the shirt,'" Sarah continued. "And they feel cool wearing it," Riley added. "Like they're on the Yankees." Commotio cordis is a rare condition that only occurs when the heart is hit with force during a 40-millisecond window during the cardiac cycle. A patient has less than a five percent chance of survival if CPR is not administered within three minutes.

Henry Moore