MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The four-inch scar that runs just below his left shoulder is a constant reminder of what he’s experienced and what was nearly taken away.
The attitude Trey Mayfield brings every time South Pittsburg’s baseball team takes the field is far more noticeable. And it’s that enthusiastic approach that is a constant reminder to his teammates of how the game should be played.
Three years ago, during a routine physical before football season, Mayfield was diagnosed with a heart murmur. Further testing revealed the teenager had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – which basically meant a thickening of his heart muscle, making it harder for his heart to pump blood.
“That’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to sit through, just being worried and not knowing what the future was for our son,” said Mayfield’s dad, Roger Dale. “We knew that heart disease runs in my wife’s family. Her dad died when he was only 28 from heart failure and she has a pacemaker, but we were hoping our kids wouldn’t be affected. Sitting there listening to what the doctors were telling us, there was just a lot of very scary scenarios.
“We’re proud of him every day. Not many kids could go through what he has and be able to keep the positive attitude, but his light shines every day for everybody else to see.”