Mason Martin

Mason Martin's release from UPMC Children’s Hospital was pushed to late April, according to an update from his father, Denny Martin, on Thursday, March 21.

The Karns City Area Jr./Sr. High School quarterback who collapsed at a game Sept. 1 was originally scheduled for release in early April from the Pittsburgh hospital, but Martin wrote in a Facebook post that he is pleased with the new date.

“I am happy to say that Mason has been given a 20 day extension. His new tentative discharge date is April 24. I am excited to see what he can accomplish in the next month,” he wrote.

Martin described what his son is able to accomplish since receiving Botox injections for mobility. Though his left arm is moving easier than his right, Denny wrote that Mason is using an arm bike machine and lifting weights on a cable machine.

“With his left arm he can pull weight down and into his body. His right arm isn’t moving as well yet. His core strength is improving and his ability to sit up from a bent over position is becoming much faster and more powerful,” he wrote.

The best part of the week, according to Martin, was watching his son hold a tennis racket and hit a balloon.

“He can grasp and support it by himself. I would toss him a balloon and as soon as it would hit the racket he would push it back to me. It felt like I was playing catch with him again,” he wrote.

The two also spent time filling out Mason’s bracket for March Madness, though the process was nontraditional.

“I would hold up two items that would represent the teams and he would look at the one he wanted to pick,” Martin wrote. “I made him confirm his choice by repeating the question when he made a big upset pick.”

The beginning of this week was rough, according to Martin, as Mason was taken off the BiPap machine during the night. This caused him to be more tired throughout the day.

“It was determined that although he appeared to be sleeping well without the BiPap, maybe he wasn’t getting good quality sleep. He also started having more frequent and more intense drops in his oxygen levels without it,” he wrote.

Mason was placed back on the machine Wednesday night, and he slept well without any drops in his oxygen levels, according to Martin.

At the end of the post, Martin gave a shout out to Ronald “Bucky” Johns, part owner of Rocky’s Pizza in East Brady, for his work starting a mural in Mason’s honor.

“Every week I am blown away by how thoughtful and generous people can be,” he wrote. “Through your prayers and his fight, we will get through this and come back better than ever.”