Jay'lan’s story: He’s all heart

He remembers the final play of the basketball game, trying to steal the ball, a struggle, then a blow to the chest and the sound of the buzzer. It was a loss that Jay’lan Daniels will remember because of what happened next. “It was like someone kept on stabbing me and stabbing me in my chest,” Jay’lan said. “My teammate was like ‘C’mon we gotta go. We gotta go. ‘I was like “I can’t breathe!” His teammate yelled for his mother, a nurse. They called 9-1-1. Jay’lan’s mother was scared. “I was really shocked at first,” said his mother Labrina Daniels. “I was shocked and disturbed.”

Before they knew it, paramedics arrived, loaded Jay’lan into an ambulance and he was on his way to Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. Once at the hospital, a second episode ensued. “I was on my phone, and then that same pain just came back like someone was like stabbing me in my chest again,” he said. Doctors ran a number of tests including an EKG and MRI.

Within hours they identified the issue and it was more worrisome than anyone ever expected. Jay’lan’s left coronary artery was not where it was supposed to be, a malformity called an anomalous coronary artery (ACA) and the second most common cause of sudden death in young athletes. In simple terms, the arteries supplying blood to Jay’lan’s heart weren't quite where they should be. It would be like having a roadmap with a few wrong turns in the heart's navigation system.

“It’s fixable, thank God, said Labrina. “That incident was a blessing because if Jay’lan would have been playing and was hit the wrong way, it could have been worse.”

There is no known cause for this heart condition. In Jay’lan’s case, it seems his heart just grew this way, keeping him from generating enough blood flow. Doctors told Jay’lan and his family that the only solution would be surgery.

“I was like, man, I’m not going to be able to play sports anymore and if I do, it won’t be the same,” he said.

”I had never heard of this illness,” said Labrina. “This was a shock to me. I was like, this can’t be happening.” She said they never had any prior indication there could be a problem with Jaylan’s heart. They noticed that he was often exhausted, but just figured that was because he was an athlete and had over-exerted himself.

Many people with an ACA don’t know they have it until a severe event happens. “You know, we never knew,’ said Labrina. “A lot of people have a heart disease and never know it.”

She says it's amazing that he played every sport he did – basketball, football, baseball and others - while never realizing there was an issue with his heart. “I'm just finding out about my child. So that was hard for me to deal with. He really is a warrior,” she said. What’s more, doctors told them: had Jay’lan been hit another way, the force could have caused another heart condition from which he may not have recovered from.

It took doctors about 8 hours in surgery to repair Jay’lan’s heart. “I was a wreck,” said Labrina. “It felt like forever for me.”

According to Dr. Frank Pigula, “The coronary artery had to be moved and reimplanted, such as we do in babies that have an arterial switch operation,” he said. Although Jay’lan’s case was a little more complicated than some others, doctors say the surgery went as planned.

From there it just took time to recover, something made easier by all those working with Jay’lan, including the nurses. “I wish I had a million dollars I could give all of them so they don't have to work again,” Labrina said. They remained in the hospital for about a week. His mother is relieved. “My son is fine,” said Labrina. “The doctors told him to take his time returning to sports, but he’s doing great!”

Labrina hopes others can benefit from Jay’lan’s story. Maybe it could save a life. She says his case should reiterate to parents the importance of student-athlete sports screenings that can identify an unlimited number of conditions that could be problematic or even life-altering.

It’s that knowledge that can now help Jay’lan lead a life as he wishes, on the basketball court, and off.

For more information about the Heart Center at Children’s New Orleans, please visit: https://www.chnola.org/services/heart-center/