Mason Flores, a junior varsity football player at Sweet Home High School, died shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday, the same day he turned 16. The Oregon teen had been fighting for his life since a Sept. 28 home game, when a hit to the head left him with a seizure and a brain bleed. His family has said his organs will be donated to help save the lives of others.
A Hit During a Home Game Turned Catastrophic
Flores was hit in the head during Sweet Home High School's Sept. 28 home game and began suffering a seizure soon after, according to KPTV. He was diagnosed with a brain bleed, per his family, and was airlifted to a Portland-area hospital, where he underwent surgery. KEZI reported that the JV Sweet Home football player was life-flighted to Portland after being hit in the head during the game.
Accounts of Flores's age at the time of his injury differed. He was described as 15 after the injury, and he died on his 16th birthday.
Family Chooses Organ Donation on His Birthday
Flores died shortly before 10 a.m. Monday, the day of his 16th birthday, according to the same KPTV report. On that same day, his family chose to donate his organs, a decision expected to help save lives. KPTV reported that his organs are expected to save at least five other lives.
Flores's family has asked that he be remembered for how he lived rather than only how his life ended, according to the facts surrounding his death reported by KATU. The family's choice echoes other cases nationally — People reported on a 17-year-old high school athlete and team co-captain who died after a brain hemorrhage and whose organs were also expected to save five lives.
Community and School Rally Around the Flores Family
A family friend and the superintendent praised Flores. The Sweet Home School District said counselors and support staff would be available to students and staff throughout the week, a KVAL report notes.
Rebecca Burgin, Flores's mother's employer, started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical and living expenses stemming from Flores's hospitalization and treatment. The CDC has said a National Concussion Surveillance System is underway to better understand how many Americans suffer traumatic brain injuries or concussions each year and what causes them, a reminder of the broader risks tied to youth contact sports even as Sweet Home mourns a student many knew personally.
