‘A blessing in disguise’: CT scan for a concussion results in unrelated life saving surgery for NW athlete

A bad concussion can never be good for an athlete.

Or can it?

For Northwestern multi-sport athlete Taylor Wanamaker, a knee and then a kick to his head that knocked him unconscious during a soccer game may be the best thing that has ever happened to him in his 16 years of life. His Level 3 concussion led doctors to coincidentally discover a more serious unrelated problem that could have eventually ended his life.

A family in fear

Wanamaker was playing goalie in a junior varsity soccer game on Oct. 23, 2016. The Tigers played Emmaus and Taylor, the son of Willard and Debra Wanamaker of New Tripoli, was standing in goal as two players rushed in with an aggressive chance to score. Taylor stopped the shot, but when he bent over to secure the ball, an Emmaus forward’s knee struck him in the forehead. As Taylor’s body lurched backward from the incidental contact, the other Emmaus forward rushed in at full speed for a potential rebound. He tried to catapult himself over his teammate, but in mid-jump, his foot kicked Taylor in the head, sending him to the ground, where his body would lie motionless.

“My husband and I immediately ran onto to the field,” said Debra. “Our son was struggling to breathe.”

A teammate’s mother, who happened to be a physician’s assistant, rushed onto the scene and rolled an unconcious Taylor onto his side to dislodge his tongue from blocking his airway.

The game was stopped for 20 minutes until an ambulance arrived.

Colossal concerns

Taylor was placed onto a gurney with his head stabilized.

“I remember having so much trouble to breathe,” he said.

“All I could do is pray to let him be ok,” said Debra.

During the ambulance ride to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Taylor had a flashback to the incident on the field and uncharacteristically became aggressive and combative. He pulled his IV from his arm and punched a paramedic.

“I didn’t know what was happening,” he recalled. “I didn’t even recognize my parents.”

Taylor was medicated to calm him down. He was placed into the hospital’s trauma unit and a CT scan revealed a Level 3 concussion.

“It ‘s the worst concussion you can get,” explained Taylor. “It’s like having three concussions at once.”

The scan revealed a bruising of the left frontal lobe of his brain. Then, Taylor began vomiting, and that brought another concern that the vomit could get into his lungs,

“There was a thought that they would have to intubate him and insert an air tube into him to keep him breathing,” said Debra.

Divine intervention

Taylor was closely monitored. As with any concussion, nurses wanted him to stay awake for as long as possible. He slurred his words when he tried to speak and his body felt totally uncoordinated.

With all that had already happened, the Wanamakers were certainly not prepared for their son’s next problem.

“A vascular doctor told us that an aneurysm (a weak spot that causes an artery or vein to swell and form a balloon-type bulge) was found in Taylor’s left iliac vein located below the belly button and a little above the groin,” said Debra. All of a sudden, Taylor was facing a more serious problem than his severe concussion.

“The most amazing thing about finding this aneurysm is that a CT scan for a concussion is always taken from the waist up,” Debra explained. “For some unexplained reason and no doctor could tell us why, Taylor’s scan went further below his waist, and if it hadn’t gone that low, we would have not have known about the aneurysm.

“I believe there was divine intervention,” she said. “God meant for us to find his life-threatening problem.”

Surgery and recovery

Taylor was immediately transferred to the University of Penn Hospital in Philadelphia where, after four-and-a-half hours of surgery, Dr, Paul Foley removed the aneurysm that he described as the “size of a lime.”

“All of this was happening a month after my husband, Willard had a heart attack,” said Debra, “He was still doing cardiac rehab and physical therapy.”

“My only concern was getting back to playing soccer again,” said Taylor. “And I was upset that they had to cut off my jersey when I went unconscious.”

His pediatric physician, Dr. Brian Pepe, was kept informed about Taylor’s ordeal and told Debra and Willard that their son could have had the aneurysm since his birth.

“We learned that an aneurysm is a ticking time bomb,” said Debra.

“When I asked the doctor what could happen to me if it hadn’t been found, he said it like this.” Taylor explained. “One day, I’m a married man and I have a family and suddenly I fall dead to the floor when the aneurysm finally ruptured. I guess you could say that CT scan for my concussion saved me from dying from an aneurysm.”

Following the surgery, Taylor had to sleep sitting up because he had a drainage tube and a catheter inserted into him. He had to walk hunched over with the aid of a walker. Because of his concussion, he had fluttering spots in his eyes which led to vision therapy and he had to wear what he called, “weird goggles.”

He missed 120 days of school and was home instructed during his junior year. Throughout his rehabilitation, he felt tired and weak and was told not to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk.

“I’m normally very active, so that was tough for me,” he said. “I spent time building structures out of big Lego sets.”

Returning to the game

The date was June 1, 2017. The game was just another summer league match for a Lehigh Valley soccer team.

For starting goalie, Taylor Wanamaker, this game meant everything.

“I was happy, nervous, and confident,” he said. “I was a bit worried too because I wanted to prove that I should be the starting goalie going into my senior year.”

Taylor did that and more. This past soccer season for Northwestern, he allowed just 10 goals in 25 games and was named Defensive Player of the Year for his undefeated Tiger team. Max Preps listed him as the third best goalie in Pennsylvania and the 11th best in the entire country.

Taylor and the Tigers captured the District 11 Class 2A championship with a 2-1 double overtime victory over Allentown Central Catholic, and advanced to the PIAA State Championship game before finally losing. Nonetheless, the season and his return were a remarkable success.

Taylor’s recovery and return to athletics has continued this spring, where he has been the top hurdler for the Northwestern track team.

Taylor was a key point producer as the Tigers posted a 6-5 dual meet record. Last week in the Colonial League championships, he finished in ninth place in both the 110 and 300 hurdles.

A life renewed

As one might guess, the Wanamakers are more than happy to get back to a normal family life. Tyler plans to play soccer at Rosemont College, a sister school of Villanova, where he intends to transfer after two years.

He carries a recharged view of his life since he had been cleared to play sports again.

“What happened to me was a blessing in disguise,” he said. “I’m a better person and a better athlete for it. God gave me a test, and I passed.”

He will dedicate some of his time to help volunteer in his community and raise funds for charities. Meanwhile, his mother, father, and four siblings all sit back and reflect with hearts filled with gratitude.

“We’re so thankful to everyone in the hospitals and in our community for their support,” said Debra. “Even the Emmaus soccer team sent Taylor a gift card.”

“We feel very, very lucky for Taylor and for me,” said Willard. “What our family went through teaches you to never sweat the small stuff in life.”

For the Wanamaker family, the “sweat” is over. Now it’s time to just be cool with living life.

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NUMERO UNO ... The District 11 Track and Field Championships will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at Whitehall High School.

Seedings have been released for the annual event, and several Times News athletes will enter the competition as top seeds.

Palmerton’s Jacob Martinez and Marian’s Tina Capparell both own two top seeds in Class 2A, ironically in the same events — 800 and 1600.

Other top seeds include Weatherly’s Emily Zoscin (2A girls 100), Palmerton’s Jordan Nelson (2A boys 110 hurdles) and Chris Fredericks (2A boys javelin), Jim Thorpe’s Debbie Loyd (2A girls pole vault), Northern Lehigh’s Robert Shoff (2A boys triple jump) and Frankie Dibilio (2A girls shot put), Lehighton’s Isabelle Meckes (3A girls discus) and the Palmerton girls Class 2A 1600 relay team.

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MILESTONES ... Pleasant Valley’s Juliana Lopez has done it again. The sophomore passed the 150-goal mark with a 10-goal, one-assist performance in the Bears’ 18-7 non-league win over Quakertown on Thursday. Lopez, who plays midfield, has 152 career goals and 196 career points, including 81 goals and 100 points for the current season. Also in the win over Quakertown, senior goalie Adriana Picca saved her 100th career shot.

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RECORD BREAKERS ... In addition to capturing the team title Wednesday at the Schuylkill League Track and Field Championships, the Jim Thorpe boys also established two school records. The Olympians’ time of 3:29.52 in the 1600 relay was a school record. The team featured Jeffrey Gorman, Sam Hydro, Nujai Walcott and Jarrin Geisinger. In the 400-meter relay, Christian Selby, Waclott, Justin St. Hill and Geisinger ran a 43.51 to set a new standard. Palmerton’s Jake Martinez (1:59.75) set a school record with his victory in the Colonial League 800 Wednesday, while Northern Lehigh’s Robert Shoff (44-0.0) established a new mark with his triumph in the CL triple jump.

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BUT THAT’S NOT ALL ... Lehighton’s Kaia Slaw established a school record in the triple jump with a leap of 35-11 1/2 at the Schuylkill League meet. Isabella Baka cleared 10-0 in the pole vault at the league meet for a runner-up finish and a school record.

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TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK ... Mark Kokinda and Zach Kindt combined to toss a four-inning no-hitter as Panther Valley posted a 16-1 mercy-rule victory over Lincoln Leadership in a non-league game on Tuesday.

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NO-NO FOR ROE ... Palmerton’s Tyler Roe had a game to remember on Thursday against Lehighton. The sophomore hurled a five-inning no-hitter against the Indians in a 15-0 non-league victory.

Of the 15 outs Roe recorded, 10 of them came via the strikeout. In fact, his final three came in the bottom of the fifth when he struck out the side to end the game and complete his masterpiece.