After nine months in three hospitals, it’s the everyday moments — sitting with family in the living room or watching his dogs, Bruiser and Murphy, run through the yard — that make life feel normal again for Mason Martin, his father, Denny, said Thursday, June 13.

The Karns City Gremlins quarterback, who collapsed during a football game in September, is back home after being discharged on Tuesday, June 11, Denny Martin said.

“It’s just comforting to know we’re all under the same roof again together,” he said.

“Sometimes, when we were in the hospital ... it never felt real — you still expect that you are going to wake up someday, and (feel) that it’s a dream,” he said. “Now that we’re back home, it feels like this is reality.”

Martin, who has taught physical education as a gym teacher for more than 20 years in the Moniteau School District, previously described the family as “close-knit” and his son as caring, loving and “a people-pleaser.”

At home waiting for Mason were his two sisters, McKenna and Sydney. As the family expected, the two dogs “went a little crazy,” Martin said, when Mason arrived.

“They didn’t know how to react,” he said. “They were running back and forth and barking — they were pretty excited.”

The first thing the Martin family did together after Mason’s arrival was sit together in their living room.

“It was everyday stuff; we weren’t reminiscing,” Martin said. “It was like, here we are on a Tuesday evening just talking.”

While Mason isn’t communicating verbally yet, Martin said he’s had no problem understanding or relaying information to Mason, who communicates through nods or by giving a thumbs up or down. The 18-year-old will continue speech, occupational and physical therapy at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township beginning late next week, his father said.

Learning to speak again, in due time, would be like “icing on a cake,” Martin said.

“We can communicate just fine,” he said. “I’d like to keep challenging him to stand on his feet and to get stronger standing.”

Amid followup appointments and continued rehabilitation, Martin said he’d like to see his son “just live his life.”

“My philosophy is that in order for him to get his life back, he needs to start living his life,” he said. “We try to do that every single day. What he would normally do in a day — let’s do it.”

“Today we got in the car and went on a ride looking at the woods,” he said. “Every day, we try to normalize his life.”

Within Karns City Area School District, and beyond its borders, Mason’s homecoming was much anticipated.

Mike Vasbinder, of Pittsburgh, who was the referee on the evening Mason was injured, called his continued recovery “a blessing.”

Vasbinder recalled the football game between Karns City and the Redbank Valley Bulldogs in which Mason collapsed in the third quarter.

Mason was injured earlier in the game, he said. During the kickoff return, officials noticed something was wrong. Vasbinder said he saw Mason stagger.

“He wasn’t acting like a normal football player would act in that situation,” he said. “I asked him if he was okay, and he said no.”

At that point, Vasbinder said he stopped the game.

When Karns City coach Joe Sherwin saw Mason get down on one knee, he said he hoped it was a leg cramp. Then, the high school senior fell to the ground, unresponsive.

“Anytime a player goes down, I say a prayer for him,” Vasbinder said. “Then I realized he was in trouble. I prayed and I’ve been praying (for him) every day ever since.”

That night, Mary Twentier, Mason’s fifth-grade teacher, said she received a text from her husband, who was working at the football game, alerting her to the situation.

“It was very difficult to hear, because we knew it was serious,” Twentier said. “That night, every time I woke up, I thought of him and said a quick prayer.”

At school, students and teachers talked about Mason’s recovery for months, she said.

“It is such a close-knit community,” Twentier said. “A small community lends itself to helping each other, and doing whatever they need to help.”

“Outside (Karns City), it seems as though because it was a sports-related injury, people could relate,” she said. “Everyone was concerned that this could happen to anyone — to their children, grandchildren. It struck a chord.”

Recalling previous football games, Vasbinder said he hadn’t witnessed another instance of an injury this severe. He said he’s seen players transported to the hospital by ambulance but usually it’s a precautionary measure. In football, it’s wise not to take any chances.

“Football can be a brutal game,” he said. “Young men fly at high speed and hit each other.”

As Mason was airlifted, Vasbinder said Pastor Paul DiBacco, who Sherwin described as a “spiritual leader for the team,” led football players, coaches, officials and community members in prayer on the field.

“It was pretty somber,” Vasbinder said. “We were all in disbelief that a young man who was okay all of a sudden collapsed. That isn’t something you deal with all the time.”

“We’ve lost students through accidents and tragedies, but this was significant because the event took place at a home football game, where many people were present,” said Eric Ritzert, superintendent of Karns City Area School District. “There you take for granted when someone is injured that within a short period of time, they’ll get back up. When that doesn’t happen, it’s a terrible thing.”

Ritzert estimated about 1,325 students are enrolled in the district. Each class numbers about 100 students.

“We’re a small district, and most students know each other,” he said. “Mason is well-known and has many friends throughout multiple grades. That, too, makes it significant for our student body.”

“I think from a school and community side, it’s brought all of us closer together,” Ritzert said. “In one manner or another, we’re a better community — unfortunately because of this terrible incident. Humanity, in general, has been better in light of realizing the severity of it and of what can go wrong in a split second.”

Following Mason’s hospitalization, the Karns City coach said the team had to decide whether to continue the season or not.

“The majority of the guys felt Mason, along with his family, would want to continue to play,” Sherwin said. “We said, if we’re going to do this, we have to give it 100%. That’s the only way to play this sport.”

“We’re all smaller, rural schools,” he said about the majority of Karns City’s rival teams, who showed support for Mason and Karns City following the accident. “Even though we compete, in the big scheme of things, we’re all there for each other.”

Mason, who has played football since he was 7 years old, was airlifted to Pittsburgh after collapsing during the third quarter of a Karns City football game on Sept. 1 against the Redbank Valley Bulldogs. The high school senior was taken from the field at Karns City high school’s Diehl Stadium by ambulance, then airlifted to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he began a monthslong recovery from a brain bleed and collapsed lung.

In October, Mason was transferred to Mercy Hospital.

That month, Mason’s mother, Stacy King Martin, died in hospice care after a 10-year battle with breast cancer.

In January, Mason was moved to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he turned 18.

While unconscious in the hospital, Mason’s family read him every card and social media post written in support of his recovery, his father said. His parents posted continuous social media updates as Mason reached different milestones in his recovery: when his breathing tube was removed; when he began retracting his legs, demonstrating what doctors call “purposeful movement”; and when he opened his eyes.

Vasbinder and Twentier both said they continued to keep track of Mason’s recovery through his father’s social media posts.

“We’ve been praying for him so hard since September,” Twentier said. “The entire community and people outside the community who don’t even know him have been praying. We’re ecstatic he’s home, and we are going to continue to pray for his recovery. When I read Mason’s dad’s post that he was finally home, it was a relief.”

“What a wonderful Father’s Day present,” she said. “I knew (Mason) was a fighter — I’ve known since he was in fifth grade.”

Throughout Mason’s hospitalization, school districts and neighbors have rallied around the Martin family and Karns City Area School District to support the teen, his family and community by organizing events, vigils and fundraisers.

Students, sports players, school administrators, nursing home residents and businesses across Butler County — and beyond the county limits — donned purple and gold, wrote messages and displayed decals in support of Mason’s recovery.

One Bible verse, which Mason has a tattoo of, has become a mantra and rallying cry repeated as his family asked for prayers and community members gathered for support.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This story was updated on June 14, 2024 to remove part of a sentence that incorrectly described the location of Karns City.

Following Mason’s recovery

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Sept. 1, 2023: Karns City Gremlins’ quarterback Mason Martin, 17, collapses during the third quarter of a football game against the Redbank Valley Bulldogs. The referee, Mike Vasbinder, notices the quarterback stagger. The high school senior is taken from the field at Karns City high school’s Diehl Stadium by ambulance and then airlifted to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he begins a monthslong recovery from a brain bleed and collapsed lung.

Sept. 3, 2023: With Mason in the hospital and doctors waiting for the swelling in his brain to subside, Karns City Area School District’s community gathers for a prayer vigil at the high school stadium.

Week of Sept. 8: Students, sports players, school administrators, nursing home residents and businesses across Butler County — and beyond the county limits — don purple and gold, write messages and display decals in support of Mason’s recovery.

Counselors from Moniteau and Clarion school districts, Center for Community Resources and more are made available for Karns City students, superintendent Eric Ritzert said.

The Rodfathers’ second annual Field of Dreams Car Cruise raises funds for the Martin family.

Sept. 17, 2023: Karns City cheerleading parents spearhead a benefit dinner and all-day raffle for the Martin family. Ahead of the event, they said they expected to sell more than 1,200 meals.

Oct. 13, 2023: Karns City Area Jr./Sr. High School’s lip-dub tribute to Mason amasses tens of thousands of views and shares.

Oct. 15, 2023: While her son is hospitalized, Mason’s mother, Stacy King Martin, dies in hospice care after a battle with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Stacy Martin, who was 42 when she died Oct. 15, was remembered as a selfless mother and wife during a November service.

Oct. 31, 2023: Mason is transferred to Mercy Hospital for rehabilitation following a cranial flap surgery that was initially delayed. The quarterback, now “awake” and “alert,” his father said, had to have a shunt placed under his skin to drain fluid buildup in his head. He suffered an infection after the surgery.

Jan. 12, 2024: After exhibiting seizure-like symptoms a week prior, Mason grows agitated as he becomes more aware of his surroundings during his first week at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Feb. 7, 2024: Mason’s elementary school raises $7,000 after former teachers organize a fundraiser ahead of his 18th birthday. The funds more than double later that month.

Feb. 12, 2024: Mason’s 18th birthday passes while he is recovering at UPMC Children’s Hospital.

March 18, 2024: Ronald “Bucky” Johns, owner of Rocky’s Pizza in East Brady, begins the process of commissioning a mural for Mason on a wall of his restaurant.

April 4, 2024: Doctors at UPMC Children’s Hospital adjust the shunt in Mason’s brain after an increase in cranial fluids is found.

April 11, 2024: Karns City and Moniteau’s baseball teams play a benefit game to raise funds for Mason’s recovery. Karns City wins 13-7.

May 2024: Mason’s discharge date, initially planned for April, is delayed after he experiences drops in oxygen levels and continues to be monitored at the hospital as his mobility improves. His father states Mason is able to write and spell his name.

May 30, 2024: Karns City Jr./Sr. High School holds its graduation ceremony, where Mason is recognized by school officials and students. His friends — Tyler Hutchison, Taite Beighley and Levi Wissinger — place his jersey on a chair, reserving his spot, where the rest of the seniors sat for commencement.

June 11, 2024: Mason is discharged from UPMC Children’s Hospital.