On Tuesday night, a 16-year-old Odessa-Montour girls’ hoops standout suffered a stroke while in school.
Keyonna Garrison, an Odessa-Montour junior, had a stroke on January 5 and was hospitalized at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester after being treated at Guthrie Corning Hospital, Star Gazette reported.
According to a fundraising campaign created to help the family with medical expenses, Garrison had a blocked vertebral artery, causing her to have a stroke.
She had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) for quite some time, but after undergoing numerous tests and treatments, she was finally removed.
“Keyonna is still undergoing neurological tests to find a path forward and to repair the issue as well as physical therapy to recover motor skills. She is on the road to recovery but it will be a long and emotional journey,” an entry in the fundraising campaign reads.
Star Gazette reported:
Keyonna, 16, was discharged from Strong on Tuesday night, coach Gavich said. Her Grizzlies teammates fell by a 54-34 score to Edison earlier in the evening in Elmira Heights to drop to 6-4.
Before the national anthem, those in the gym responded to a request from Edison athletic director/dean of students Mike Bennett with an extended ovation in support of Garrison. Gavich said later Garrison received encouraging news Tuesday when she learned surgery won’t be required to repair a damaged blood vessel.
As of late Tuesday night, the GoFundMe for Keyonna had raised more than $14,000. Edison’s girls basketball program presented a donation envelope to Gavich.
“They’re still hopeful for a full recovery and she’s back playing sports as a senior,” Gavich said. “That’s as good as we can hope for.”
Garrison became ill during gym class Thursday morning. Gina Gavich, Greg’s daughter, noticed her on the gymnasium floor and thought Garrison possibly twisted an ankle. She told her father and Greg immediately went to check on her. He received no response from Garrison as nurses treated her.
According to her GoFundMe page, Garrison will undergo physical therapy to improve her motor skills. There was no impact to her cognitive skills, Greg said.
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