Myrtle Beach area community members held a prayer gathering Sunday at Beach Church for Carolina Forest student athlete Jase McDowell, who underwent a third brain surgery following a brain bleed that was discovered after a junior varsity soccer game in March.
McDowell, 15, was taken to the hospital after complaining of a headache in the middle of the JV Panthers’ soccer game on March 26. From there, Carolina Forest’s athletic training staff and administration rushed into action and called for further medical help. McDowell was then taken to a local hospital where doctors discovered an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal tangle of blood vessels, creating further problems with arteries and veins.
Carolina Forest varsity soccer coach Gene Dougherty said he was on the sidelines preparing for his team’s game — which was happening immediately after the JV game — when the situation occurred.
“Things went quickly,” Dougherty said. “The trainers were there right away and our athletic director was there right away. Just as we started our varsity game, which was only a few minutes after it happened, they told us we had to stop and make way for the ambulance. Everyone here just seemed to handle it really well, and I’m proud of the way everyone dealt with it. Our athletic trainers were just awesome.”
Since then, McDowell, a freshman at Carolina Forest, has been recovering at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he underwent his third brain surgery Monday.
Members of the local community have since been supporting McDowell and his family through making t-shirts and bracelets, many of which were seen at Sunday’s prayer gathering.
“I have been watching from the outside, and I’ve let the team, families and parents take the ball and run with this,” Dougherty said of the community’s support. “They have been great. They have put shirts, bracelets and more together. The whole community has been really supportive. We have gotten messages from other schools and clubs from all around the area, so it’s been really inspiring.”
Dougherty said that as a coach, seeing the local support for McDowell has been a great encouragement.
“It’s great to see people coming together,” he said. “Today, we’re very quick to separate ourselves. But when something like this happens, it brings us all together and it kind of gives us a common goal. It’s something that binds us together, that’s inspiring. For our kids, they have something they are fighting for and are rallying around.”
While McDowell’s recovery is ongoing, Dougherty said he will have the full support of his Carolina Forest family in “anything he has to endure throughout this process.”
“We’re all behind him,” Dougherty said. “We’re hoping he recovers really quickly.”
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