Bullitt Co. teen back in school after near fatal blow during football game

(WHAS11) - A Bullitt County teenager is being called a walking miracle by some.

Remember the Bullitt East football player who suffered a near fatal blow during a game back in August?

He's back at school doing great Jesse Bratcher and his family spoke exclusively to WHAS11’s Rachel Platt.

Name a sport and Jesse has probably played it.

Add to his trophies autographs from Jodie Meeks, John Calipari and Rich Brooks; all gifts he received after his favorite sport almost killed him.

Jesse had emergency brain surgery to remove a blood clot the size of a pancake.

His family believes Jesse suffered not just one devastating blow, but two.

The first hit came during a varsity game on this field back in August on a Saturday night.

But after the hit, Jesse kept playing and nursed a headache the next morning with a Tylenol.  His family now says it was a warning sign they missed.

Two days later he was back on the field for a JV game where he took a second hit to the head.

“My head started throbbing and my vision was blurry,” says Jesse.

He stopped breathing in the ambulance, underwent emergency surgery that same night, was hooked up to a ventilator and in a coma.

His family waited three agonizing days before Jesse showed signs of life.

A thumbs up became the signature move; the rallying cry from Jesse's friends during rehab.

Amazingly, Jesse is back at school.  He taking a regular load of classes and is finished with physical therapy.

Less than three months later, he is feeling like the same old Jesse.  But there is one big difference; no more football period and no basketball for at least two years.

“It's not the end of the world and thank God for hunting,” says Jesse.

He is happy he still has hunting and his dreams of becoming a game warden.

In fact, he just returned from a ten day hunting trip to Colorado.  His mom thought the perfect therapy to get him back in the game.

Jesse is now back in the game of life.
     
So lessons learned from the Bratchers?

Ask more questions if your child takes a hit to the head and look for any warning signs like a headache and get them checked out.

If you suffer an injury, speak up if you're hurting because playing the game could cost you your life.

The Bratcher's also told Rachel that the the school and the community pulled them through and they want to thank everyone for that.