The Sydney Sooners will have some extra motivation entering the senior baseball playoffs as their catcher will be back behind the plate, just months after suffering a serious heart attack.
Sean Ferguson went into cardiac arrest while shooting hoops with friends back in June.
The 23-year-old credits his friend’s quick actions with keeping him alive.
“I was playing one on one with teammate Kenny Long. We were as competitive as we usually are and my heartrate must have gotten so high that I passed out,” said Ferguson.
“I was lucky to have guys that had the proper training with the aid to save my life.”
With Ferguson laying on the gym floor, his teammates ran to a nearby by hockey rink to grab a defibrillator and then started doing CPR.
After spending weeks in a Halifax hospital, Ferguson had surgery to implant an S-ICD, a device that will shock his heart back into proper rhythm if anything goes wrong.
Ferguson says it’s been a whirlwind summer for him. Following an eight-week recovery period, he was able to marry his longtime sweetheart in July.
“We weren't guaranteed anything,” said Ferguson. “We weren't sure if we were actually going to go through with the wedding with what was going on health-wise. For it all to go off without a hitch was pretty special for me.”
“It's a day I'll never forget.”
Ferguson now feels ready to get back on the baseball diamond, with a special bond and motivation to win a championship.
“Tonight's for Ferg,” said teammate Kenny Long. “Everybody knows that. We’re not going to lie. This whole season is for Ferg at this point.”
“I can't thank those guys enough,” said Ferguson. “Without them I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't have gotten married and I wouldn't be getting ready to take on the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry in the playoffs.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
