A 6-year-old Georgia boy suddenly experienced a fatal heart attack Thursday while taking pictures with his baseball team, according to the late child’s mother.
Brantley Chandler was a catcher for the Rock Springs Mustangs. Chandler’s mother, Megan Bryson, told WTVC that her son was on the field with his teammates when he lost consciousness.
“He had his picture taken…and just minutes later he lined up to do the team picture and he just collapsed,” Bryson said.
The 6-year-old reportedly died hours later at the hospital. Bryson said her son had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS, and had been hospitalized as recently as December.
According to the Mayo Clinic, HLHS is a rare congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart doesn’t develop properly and doesn’t effectively pump blood through the body.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that approximately 960 babies a year are born with the congenital heart defect. Chandler’s mother told WTVC that her son was born without an aorta.
The news station reported that Chandler’s teammates attended his funeral in their uniforms.
“Brantley was an outgoing little boy who was in the first grade at Chickamauga Elementary School,” his obituary read. “When he was not playing baseball, Brantley could be found enjoying what the outdoors had to offer.”
[Featured image: Brantley Chandler/WTVC video screengrab]
