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The Enumclaw community has been coming together to help a local family after their 10-year-old son suffered a neck injury last Saturday and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
In the fourth quarter of the first Jr. Hornet football game of the year at Pete’s Pool, fifth-grader Mac Reynolds rolled over his helmet after an attempted tackle and collapsed after he tried to get up.
Father and Jr. Hornet Coach Greg Reynolds saw the incident from the sidelines, and is still trying to wrap his head around the “surreal” weekend.
On one hand, he felt helpless as his child was unable to move his arms or legs immediately after his collapse — like “watching the whole thing from the outside.”
But on the other, he felt a flood of hope and love coming from the people in the stadium.
“I turned around at one point into the stands, and people were actively in prayer,” he said. “To see that support, there’s no doubt in my mind God’s hand was on him the whole time.”
Mac regained limb movement before the helicopter arrived, but he was still airlifted to the Harborview Medical Center due to a potential spine injury. He was discharged on Sept. 13 with a neck brace and a strong recommendation to not finish the season.
Mac may have narrowly avoided a life-altering injury, but there is more to come for the Reynolds family.
“While the news we received last night was the news we prayed for, this terrifying moment of uncertainty also comes with a significant financial burden. Being airlifted from the field and receiving the emergency care needed to make sure he was safe comes at a tremendous cost,” Jr. Hornet Vice President Caitlin Tannahill wrote in the GoFundMe post. “This family should be able to focus on their son, his recovery, and being together — not on the financial aftermath of one of the scariest moments of their lives.”
As of Sept. 15, more than $16,000 of the $20,000 goal has been raised from individuals and groups like Big Blue Football and Cheer and the Lions Football Club in Pierce County.
Reynolds profusely thanked everyone who has helped his family, from financial donations big and small from friends and strangers to the activity baskets that will help Mac stay occupied as his family keeps him home for the week to recover.
He said this was awful way to find out how true the phrase “Football is family” really is.
But the relief is tempered by the expectation that the medical bill will exceed insurance coverage and the amount of funds raised.
You can support the Reynolds family through the GoFundMe by searching “Help Cover Emergency airlift for a Jr. Hornet football playe[r],” or by purchasing an “Enumclaw Strong” T-shirt through Day Drinking Designs.
