Cabarrus County football player recovering at hospital after surviving stroke

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - During a Friday night football game this past week, Tylin McDowell took a pretty good hit while on the field for Mt. Pleasant against the Maiden Blue Devils.

His team lost, so he wasn’t thrilled, but his father, Tim, said he was otherwise himself.

About 24 hours later though, Tim said something was obviously wrong with Tylin. The 16-year-old was found unconscious on the floor at his girlfriend’s home.

Tylin was rushed to Atrium Northeast where doctors discovered something much more serious than dehydration. Blood flow to his brain was blocked, indicating that he was having a stroke.

He had emergency surgery to remove the clot before being flown to Levine Children’s Hospital where he is now recovering.

“He’s been active from a very young age,” Tim McDowell said. “He’s always happy - happy, kind and generous.”

Tylin could be considered lucky to be alive, as strokes are the No. 1 killer in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The first thing you think of is ,‘Oh, he must be dehydrated from the game the night before,’” Tim said. “To be so young having a stroke, it’s scary.”

The boy’s father said it’s not luck that he is still here; it’s just Tylin doing what he does best.

“I believe that whenever he pulls through with this, it will be a huge boost for him and that this will be something for him [that] he can help other people with, knowing he has overcome it himself,” Tim said.

Doctors don’t know for sure what caused the stroke, but Tylin has started to regain mobility on the right side of his body, and he can stand and take a few steps.

Right now a big focus is on his speech and fine motor skills.

Related: Stroke risk factors increasing among young people, doctors warn

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