The high school football community in Lawrenceville has come together in support of OJ Appiah, a senior linebacker who sustained a serious brain injury during a game. Appiah, who played for Archer High School, collapsed after winning a match against Harrison High School earlier this month. He was quickly taken to Kennestone Hospital in Marietta for emergency surgery after he told his coach that he was feeling dizzy, and care was taken to reduce severe swelling around his brain, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
According to Joanna Paradiso, Appiah's older sister, the extent of his injuries was quite severe. "His swelling was so bad that they had to actually take off a flap from his skull to decompress his brain," Paradiso told Atlanta News First. The high school athlete previously had a concussion but never an injury this severe. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), despite showing some improvements such as breathing on his own.
His sister opened an online fundraiser to help cover his rising medical bills, while his family and parishioners fervently hope for a full recovery. Paradiso remains hopeful about her brother's fighter spirit: "I think it comes from my mom because she’s been through a lot. I had some health scares, and I feel like he is just from a family of fighters," she expressed in a statement obtained by Atlanta News First.
Paradiso describes her brother as a teen who loves his mom, a teddy bear with a bright future ahead of him. "He was so ready, but God had other plans," Paradiso said to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his football career, his sister believes that "Everything happens for a reason. I just know that it’s going to bring Oheneba to his purpose. This is just a little bump but he’s going to come back better and stronger," as per Atlanta News First.
