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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009

Tragic turn of events: Family, friends of Merced College football player hope for a miracle

Routine surgery quickly turned into tragedy for one of Merced's best-known sports families.

Kameron Huddleston, an 18-year-old sophomore at Merced College, is on life support at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno after complications arose after surgery to repair ligament damage in his right knee.

Kameron underwent successful surgery on the anterior cruciate (ACL) and lateral collateral ligaments (LCL) on Friday afternoon, but his condition took a turn for the worse while in recovery later that night.

What exactly happened remains shrouded in mystery and medical jargon, said his father, Randy Huddleston.

According to the family, Kameron suffered flash pulmonary edema while in recovery, meaning fluid began to collect in his lungs.

A tube was inserted to help with the drainage, and he was placed on a respirator to help his shallow breathing.

Kameron was sedated to protect his knee and the breathing devices. He slipped into a coma and hasn't awakened since.

At one point, Randy said, CPR was administered.

On Tuesday, during a meeting with hospital officials, the Huddleston family was told Kameron "had no brain activity," Randy said.

"They've basically said the Kameron we all know and love is no longer there," said Allen Huddleston Sr., his uncle and Merced College women's basketball coach.

The family has sought a second opinion from a neurologist in the medical center.

Complications of this seriousness are extremely rare in outpatient surgeries involving young, healthy athletes -- maybe one in every 100,000 -- said a physician who asked that his name not be used because he doesn't know the details of the Huddleston case.

A spokeswoman for St. Agnes declined to comment on the case, citing patient privacy laws.

"He is in critical condition," Director of Communications Kelly Sanchez said. "And, unfortunately, that's all the information we can provide."

"It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out knee surgery. A knee surgery," Randy said, fighting back the tears. "Now he's fighting for his life."

Hoping, praying

Max Masood and Alyssa Wright stood alongside Kameron's bed in the intensive care unit Wednesday morning, squeezing his hands.

Feelings filled the room as childhood friends and former Merced High classmates searched for understanding in a tangle of tubes, wires and monitors.

Days earlier, Masood left Kameron's apartment after a round of video games with a playful warning from his friend: Don't come back until you've practiced.

Masood hopes to still have that opportunity.

"I love you," Masood said at his bedside, abandoning his usually reserved tone.

"It's not time for you to go, Kam. You hear me? You need to fight this. Keep fighting.

"It was like he knew what I was saying," Masood later told Randy.

The Huddleston family is leaning on faith and relying on support to help guide them through the dark times.

Six days of pain, confusion and tears have been offset by an endless stream of visitors and phone calls.

"Kam has brought a lot of people together," Randy said. "I didn't realize he was that liked or loved. I think it's his smile. It'll make you melt. He just had a way with people."

A beast, a stud

Kameron Huddleston tore the ACL and LCL in his right knee three-and-a-half weeks ago while running.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound defensive end was preparing for his sophomore season with the Blue Devils.

"He felt it twist, felt something pop," Allen Sr. said. "It wasn't anything too strenuous."

His injury kept him off the field when summer football classes began last week, but it didn't keep him away from the team.

Kameron could be seen on the sidelines in street clothes, joking with teammates and friends during breaks.

He was ever the optimist, able to find the silver lining in grueling practices, bleacher runs and tight ballgames.

A routine injury wasn't going to beat him.

"The players and the coaches are having a really hard time with this," Merced High School football coach Rob Scheidt said. "He's one of our best, and I'm not just saying that because of what's going on right now.

""Kam is one of our best."

Kameron helped Merced win back-to-back Central California Conference championships in 2006-07.

His signature performance came in the semifinal round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs, a 41-28 loss to Stockton St. Mary's.

Kameron finished with three sacks, harassing Oregon State-bound quarterback Cody Vaz throughout.

"He tore it up," Scheidt said. "They ran away from him that game. They didn't want to go at him.

"It was best said earlier this week, when we needed a big sack, Kameron was the guy to step up and make the play.

"For us, he was a beast. He played what we call 'Five-Technique,' which we refer to as our stud ... our strong end. He made us go those two years."

It's that spirit that keeps Randy, his wife Margie and the Huddleston camp optimistic.

"Every now and then you hear about a story of someone in a coma and they come out of it. The Lord works in mysterious ways," Randy said.

"Does the Lord have one more trick up his sleeve for Kameron? I can't answer that question, but I want to give him every opportunity to come back.

"We have to."

James Burns is sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.