TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa Public Schools student-athlete is still battling for his life at St. Francis Children's Hospital because of a heatstroke suffered in football practice at East Central High School on Aug. 27.
"He's an AP student, 4.0 GPA, and he loves playing offensive line," Toby Nelson told 2 News on Sept. 8, describing his son, Taeshawn Nelson, who wanted to spend the fall football season helping the ECHS Cardinals win.
But in a practice for the season opener, everything changed.
"I got a call from his coach that Taeshawn wasn't acting normal," the elder Nelson said. "And the coach wanted to know if he can call the EMS. And I told him to call EMS, I'll be there. And by the time I got to the practice, he had already been unconscious."
Temperatures that afternoon were dangerously hot at 95 degrees with a heat index of 98 degrees, according to the 2 News Weather Center.
"I have no idea (what led to Taeshawn going into heatstroke)," Nelson said. "Like I said, this kid practiced relentlessly all summer long. Never had any problems."
For almost two weeks, the junior offensive lineman has slowly recovered in the St. Francis Pediatric ICU, with temporary setbacks testing that toughness.
"The heatstroke damaged his liver and his kidney, and he's on dialysis right now," Nelson added. "And he's just dealing with a lot of different things, man. Some things get good but some things aren't getting better as it should."
The teen's parents told 2 News that Taeshawn's fight has also tested the family financially. They've since set up a GoFundMe appealing to the community for help in saving their son.
Toby Nelson, a former college football player himself, said there's a lesson in this for all parents, coaches, and schools.
"It's something that we all can learn from about being hydrated and how that sun and the heat can really take you down," he said.
"I'm a true believer in making sure the kids are safe. This one time it just happened to be my son."
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