Did you hear about Bronny James? The 18-year-old star athlete in the peak of health, recently had a heart attack out of nowhere at a basketball practice with his new school, the University of Southern California.

Let’s stop a moment and review who this young man is. Bronny James is the oldest son of LeBron Raymone James, Sr., known to most as simply “LeBron”, one of the best professional American basketball players ever, currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron is the leading scorer in the history of The National Basketball Association and is considered one of the greatest basketball players ever.

Enter the strong and talented young Bronny James. His dad is literally one of the giants in basketball history; someone to whom Bronny will be compared his entire life. Bronny was considered the top pick for Division 1 College teams and was immediately snapped up by Los Angeles’ own University of Southern California. Of course, he was the top pick. He had to be. Anything less than number one would be considered failure for someone in Bronny’s shoes.

Up until his sudden and unexplained cardiac arrest, Bronny was considered a first-round prospect for the NBA, should he choose to continue his basketball career after college. LeBron himself has stated in the past that he would like to play in the league with his son. That’s looking four years into the future. Four years away and yet Bronny is already ranked the number one prospect. Can you imagine the pressure he must feel every morning when he opens his eyes to start the day? Must be crushing.

These days, the pressure to succeed on our young athletes in general is profound. Self-medicating, so to speak, in the form of legal and easily obtained performance-enhancing energy boosters and post-workout recovery aids is commonplace. But is this a good idea?

After a strong workout, often the body needs a few days recovery but who has time for that? Athletes competing at a high level must be on all the time. They simply don’t have a few days down time. These energy enhancing compounds help them to continue to perform at a level above and beyond what might be considered healthy. Always pushing a little harder, going a little stronger. For someone like Bronny James, with the eyes of the world planted firmly upon him, it must be brutal to keep up. Should he dare to take time off to refresh and recharge, he might fall behind and lose his edge. Can’t do that. Forward! But such dedication comes at a price.

Then again, to have a heart attack at age 18 sounds a little suspicious, doesn’t it? Let me take a wild guess that his family has no history of heart problems and, another wild guess, his family has the best healthcare that money can buy, and that Bronny was vaccinated against COVID-19. He was a healthy young man, so why did he have a heart attack, something we associate more with fat, sedentary old men? Conspiracy theorists might point to the COVID vaccine – that untested vaccine almost everyone received that scientists cautioned could cause moderate to severe heart problems. Is there any connection? Does the vaccine have anything to do with the many young men and women in the past few years who have suddenly and inexplicably suffered heart attacks on the fields of international competitions? Young people aged 18 to 24 who had no history of heart issues? Coincidence?

I’m not so sure. Heart attacks in young, healthy athletes were almost unheard of — until we all en masse stood in line and got inoculated against a disease that was not understood, with a vaccine that was not understood – except for the counsel that it could cause Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart valve. We knew that almost right from the start but in the climate of fear that existed at the time, such warnings were brushed off for the greater good.

But what if the warning wasn’t nonsense? What we’ve poisoned a whole generation of youth by poisoning their hearts? What if? Are these fallen children the bitter repercussions of trusting the government a little too much? Or not? It’s open for debate.

I am happy to report that Bronny James has since been released from the hospital and is recuperating at home. The question now lingering in everyone’s minds is this: Will Bronny James return to the basketball court to pursue his legacy? How do his parents feel about it?  Would you want your son to play basketball after suffering a heart attack? Is this just his first heart attack? How can anyone know? Speaking as a mom, I know what I’d say to my son. “Time to move on. Find a new passion. Baby, you’re done. Done.”

Sending prayers to Bronny James and his family for strength during this difficult time, and a quick and thorough recovery. Be well.