Danny Farquhar
Nothing Short of a Miracle, says doctor.
[White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar recovers from traumatic brain trauma]
On April 21, 2018, White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar suffered a sudden, life-threatening brain hemorrhage in the team’s dugout during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros. Players reported that Farquhar suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital unresponsive for emergency brain surgery.
“When you see one of your brothers go down like that, it’s not very fun to watch,” said White Sox starter James Shields. “He’s such a resilient human being and we’re praying for him. We hope everything goes well.”
Doctors determined a ruptured aneurysm caused the hemorrhage. Though the White Sox went on to lose the game, Farquhar thankfully underwent a speedy recovery that doctors claimed was nothing short of a miracle.
Just weeks after the unexpected hospital visit, 31-year-old father of 3, Danny Farquhar was on the road to recovery. On June 1, 2018, “Farquhar was joined by his wife, Lexie, and three children, Madison, Landon and Liam, as he threw a baseball to White Sox reliever Nate Jones for the first time since enduring a brain hemorrhage from a ruptured aneurysm on April 20 against the Astros,” reported Scott Merkin of MLB News.
Farquhar said he has worked out 8 times a day since leaving the hospital and has carefully monitored his stress levels and blood pressure. He has a surgical scar across the left side of his face and will also have to deal with memory loss.
This incident is a rare case and, given its nature, could not have been prevented. What Danny Farquhar has shown us — aside from unyielding perseverance — are the dangers of unexpected injury and the reality of human vulnerabilities, even among professional athletes.
Already on the practice mound, Danny Farquhar wears a protective batting helmet to guard against potential come-backers. That is in a controlled setting, though. The dangers of pitching live cannot be calculated in the moment. That’s a very scary reality for someone who recently had emergency surgery after a sudden brain aneurysm.
Protecting athletes is top priority
We invented Ball Cap Liner with the athlete in mind. We provide headgear that is effective and needed for both early prevention and post-traumatic protection. All it takes is one simple step to help prevent physical harm from occurring in the first place. Unfortunately, in most cases, athletes only take precautionary measures after recovering from their injuries.
That’s a problem.
Even after recovery, there is the potential for further injury. Why not prevent these incidents before they happen? It’s a question all athletes and parents of athletes should ask themselves.
At the same time, we understand that some injuries cannot be avoided. Danny Farquhar is proof of that. In those cases, however, athletes need to take the appropriate measures to ensure that existing injuries do not worsen…or lead to other life-threatening situations.
The level of protection an athlete wears after recovering from serious injury matters a great deal when returning to the playing field. Now, with Danny Farquhar’s medical history, he needs to be more careful and more prepared upon returning to the MLB. The potential dangers from comebacks and glancing blows are now more serious. As a father of three, we would like to see Danny Farquhar taking to the field with the necessary safeguards.
