Waterbury

CT high student bounces back from suffering cardiac arrest after basketball game

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A student at Holy Cross High School in Waterbury has made a full recovery after going into cardiac arrest last month.

On Jan. 7, Holy Cross’ basketball team won their game against Kennedy High School, but moments after the game ended, 16-year-old Tylon Lott collapsed in the locker room.

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“We won a big game, so everyone was excited, fooling around, joking,” coach Michael Wilson said. “At first, when he went down, we just thought Ty was fooling around.”

Lott's friend Evan ran to get help, and two nurses and a firefighter in the stands answered the call.

“We’re very fortunate to have some awesome family members who are angels, just angels,” Wilson said.

His wife is one of the nurses who helped.

“Terry, Lisa and Megan worked as a team during the time that he was going in and out, eventually put the AED on him, and proceeded with CPR,” Terence Lott, Tylon’s father, said.

His parents said Tylon went into cardiac arrest. They watched on in horror as the trio of heroes jumped into action.

“When I walked in, all I saw was his leg not moving. I saw them all working on him, and I thought I had lost my son,” Tasha Lott, Tylon’s mother, said. “I’m so thankful that they jumped right in because if they didn’t, I don’t think he would be here today.”

The 16-year-old was rushed to the hospital and put in a medically induced coma. He spent a week in the Intensive Care Unit at Yale New Haven Hospital.

“When I first woke up, I didn’t know where I was, and I didn’t know what happened,” Tylon said.

Miraculously, he made a full recovery, but it’s still a mystery why this happened.

“Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to determine what exactly caused it, what could have prevented it. They said this kind of had to happen for us to know,” Tasha said.

He has to sit the rest of the basketball season out, but he’s still able to shoot some hoops in practice.

“I’m glad to have my boy back,” Holy Cross principal Tommy Pompei said. “He’s talking a lot more. I couldn’t get two words out of him before, but he’s like a new and improved Ty. He’s back and better than ever.”

The ordeal has brought the basketball team even closer together.

“We always talk to the boys about appreciating the moment and you never [know] how things are gonna change, and in that moment, the world changed for us,” Wilson said. “I think this has given the boys a reset - things to be appreciative for, making sure that we value the little things in life, and have fun, laugh and spread a lot of love.”

The Lott family has partnered with the Greater Waterbury YMCA to help other children and young adults identify potential heart conditions. They’re holding an event called “A Lott At Heart” where people aged eight to 25 can get a free ECG screening.

“It’s a beautiful way to transition something that could have been a terrible evening into something really, really positive,” Pompei said.

The event is being held on Feb. 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. at 136 West Main St. in Waterbury.

“I don’t want it to happen to other kids,” Tylon said. “Each day you wake up, just stay positive. God’s waking you up for a reason.”

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