Charles “Bryce” Deegear, a 16-year-old boy from Aledo, Texas, has always been an active boy. Bryce started playing tee ball at the age of seven and he later moved onto playing football and soccer.
At Bryce’s first tee ball practice, his parents noticed signs that something was not right with their son. At practice, he got his first hit and ran to first base, then slowly to second base, and when he got to third base he fell to the ground. His parents took him to the emergency room immediately. The Deegear’s were told that the reason Bryce collapsed was due to “dehydration or low blood sugar.” Bryce would occasionally get faint in the heat and had to sit down because he was “dizzy or just didn’t feel right,” says his mother Tammy.
When Bryce was 10-years-old, nothing had changed and Bryce’s condition didn’t improve. The Deegear’s decided that Bryce needed to see a cardiologist. He received a perfect report from the cardiologist and by the age of 11, Bryce started playing football. Even though Bryce had received a perfect report from the cardiologist, he would still feel faint and dizzy while playing football. The Deegear’s thought it was from the heat or nervousness while running drills since nothing had been found during his tests.
Two years later at the age of 13, Bryce started playing soccer and “that’s when we really knew he was different from most kids,” says Tammy. His parents noticed his stamina was much different than his teammates. He was getting tired after 15 minutes of activity and if it was extra hot that day, he would get tired after just 5 minutes.
Before he could play soccer for his sophomore year of high school, Bryce got a physical at a doctor’s office instead of a physical provided by the school because Tammy “wanted someone to really listen to him and make sure he was okay to play.” After seeing the doctor, the Deegear’s were told that Bryce had an innocent heart murmur and there was no need for concern.
Tammy knew that something was still wrong with her son, so she scheduled Bryce to see a different cardiologist. As they performed a screening of Bryce’s heart at the cardiologist, they found that his septum was four times the thickness it was when he was 10. Bryce was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). His septum thickness went from normal – 0.8 centimeters to 2.8 centimeters, and some areas were 3.2 centimeters thick after just a couple of years. At this point, Bryce was told he could no longer play competitive sports and was implanted with a defibrillator.
Bryce is currently a senior at Aledo High School and plans to attend The University of Oklahoma after graduation. Even though Bryce isn’t allowed to full-on play or practice soccer with his team, he still enjoys kicking the ball here and there.
The Deegear’s encourage you to have your child get an EKG and an Echocardiogram. Tammy knew that something was wrong with her son and continued asking questions and seeking answers. She encourages everyone to do the same.
Living for Zachary provides heart screenings at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Plano and Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital – Denton. The Living for Zachary Heart Screenings are available five times a week for $55 each. Kids must be ages 12-22 to be screened. To schedule a heart screening appointment, call 469.814.3565, option 4.
