Hartford senior gets a second chance at life

HARTFORD, Wis. - The comfortable surroundings of Hartford High School will soon be a memory for senior Michael Turner.

"Looking back at it though," said Turner. "I loved every single moment of it. Every moment I’ve had with my friends, family."

Many of those moments were shared on the football field as a defensive back for Orioles head coach John Redders.

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"When you know you’re going to spend some time with Michael, you’re going to get a laugh," said Redders. "You’re going to get some inspiration and just feel that energy."

However, on October 28, 2022, in a playoff game against Homestead, that contagious energy came to a traumatic halt right in front of his dad, Tom, who was in the stands.

"He came off the field, and I was watching him," said Tom. "The trainer was kind of doing their little checks on him, and he tipped right over. And it was scary."

"Then I just really noticed that there was a change in the atmosphere on our sideline," Redders said. "I didn’t see Michael pass out on the sideline. But I heard about it. We’re trying to win a football game, and then I’ve got a kid behind me that we love dearly, and we’re trying to help him out."

"I went down there and, you know, his eyes were just wide open," Tom said. "It was like he was having some sort of a seizure or something like that. So it was really scary. But at the same time, being a parent, you’re like saying hey everything’s going to be okay. Hang in there. You’re doing great."

Michael was immediately treated by the team’s trainers and medical staff.

"Our athletic trainers are unbelievable," said Redders. "Our doctor that was there, he does a lot of emergency response stuff. They know what to do. They were so calm. We were able to help with that situation."

Then he was taken to Children’s Wisconsin where he underwent emergency surgery.

They removed the right side of his skull to relieve pressure on his brain and then put him into an induced coma.

"When I woke up, I’m not going to lie to you sir, I’d wake up not knowing who I am," said Turner.

And there were numerous unknowns for his family.

"At first, what’s the survival rate," asked Tom. "What’s going to happen here? What am I looking for? Like, what are these tests saying? What do these mean, you know? Is this a good sign? Is this a bad sign? What could be the future, the next day, the next week? What could this all turn out to be?"

He was diagnosed with secondary impact syndrome, which has a 50 percent survival rate in the first four hours.

Michael had made it, but the recovery would take time and a lot more.

"It takes a lot of patience because that’s one of the first things the doctors will tell you," Tom said. "This is not the movies where they wake up, and they’re right back to normal. This is going to be a marathon."

"It started off really tough and really slow from the start," said Turner. "When I woke up, oh my God, if my dad gave me a book or anything like that to read, it would be mumbo-jumbo coming out of my mouth."

Gradually, Michael’s speech, memory and strength returned.

And in January 2023, he returned to school for an hour and a half a day.

By the fall, he was back in class for the entire day.

"I was a little nervous," said Tom. But as you can see, he brings it. He’s got the drive. He was going to get it done, and he just kept overcoming challenges as soon as they came along every step of the way."

He continues to get stronger, mentally and physically. And despite not being able to play football again.

"I miss the game more than life itself," Turner said.

He was back with the team, in a different way.

"It was something special to be able to have that first practice where he came in and was able to be there," said Redders. "I think we all rallied around him a little bit. It’s like Michael’s back and to be able to have him on the sideline, it was kind of a neat thing."

"It was really nice," Tom said. "It was good to see him back in his element. He’s a very personable person and for him to be able to interact with the teammates and his coaches was wonderful."

"I obviously love seeing our team win football games, of course you know brother," said Turner. "It’s just hurt though knowing that I wasn’t on the team."

Now, with high school coming to an end, his experience through the life-threatening injury is giving him a new perspective.

"I kind of see this as a second shot," said Turner. "If anybody else in this world though, sir, is going through anything difficult in life, I just want to show them, show this to them that hey, the whole world’s open for you. Be open to new ideas. Be open to absolutely anything that comes your way."

Michael is the recipient of the WIAA Spirit of Sport Award sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin because of his positive attitude and the impact he's made at Hartford.

While still a fan of football, his goals now are to become an entrepreneur or to go into real estate.