On August 10th, 2024, Marcus was participating in a mixed-ages basketball tournament at the Boys and Girls Club in Mountain View, Anchorage. Shortly into the second quarter, while sitting on the bench, Marcus went into cardiac arrest (CA); however, we were not aware of what was happening at the time. The entire team there, including Alvin, Marcus’ grandfather, jumped into action. An EMT team arrived at the scene and proceeded to administer medical attention– this included CPR and defibrillation. The EMTs got him to Alaska Regional Hospital (ARH), where they were able to get him to a stable but critical point. Over the next twelve to twenty-four hours, we learned that Marcus has a genetic heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We also learned that Marcus’ heart was not damaged from the CA; however, there was brain damage caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. 

In the immediate days following his cardiac arrest, the ICU team at ARH kept Marcus stable. They used hypothermic therapy to keep his body cold to help prevent any further damage to the brain. One of the biggest challenges at first was identifying and controlling seizures that Marcus was having; until those were managed, Marcus remained on sedatives and even a paralytic (to prevent the body from shivering severely due to the hypothermic therapy). After an MRI, EEG testing, and many X-rays, the nursing staff finally was able to reduce and eventually cut the sedation that Marcus was receiving. This was an important step, since while Marcus was sedated, it was increasingly difficult to assess his neurological and cognitive condition. 

Since August 10th, Marcus has come a long way. He has gone from needing a myriad of medical interventions to requiring very little. Marcus is in what the medical team has identified as a minimally conscious state (MCS). He is able to respond to stimuli at this point, and he is breathing completely on his own. He has a feeding tube and a central IV, but other than that, his body is able to do what it needs to do on its own. On September 9th, Marcus had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) put in, which will be with him for life due to the HCM. The physical and occupational therapy team at ARH has worked with Marcus to the best of their ability and have reached their limit as to what they are able to provide for him. In the very near future, Marcus will be moved to an out-of-state facility to continue his rehabilitation and recovery. We will use this blog as frequently as possible to update and inform everyone who is concerned and is invested in Marcus’ journey. If you’re reading this far, thank you so much for caring about, thinking about, praying for, and supporting Marcus in this unexpected, life-altering chapter. We appreciate you more than words can express.