Chicago White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar has been released from the hospital after experiencing a ruptured brain aneurysm during a game last month — and his doctor predicts that despite his near-death experience he should be able to play pitch in the majors again.
Farquhar had just stepped off of the mound during the sixth inning of Chicago’s April 20 game against the Houston Astros when he vomited and collapsed in the dugout. He immediately received medical attention from staff on site, and was then transported to the intensive care unit at Rush University Medical Center where doctors discovered the 31-year-old pitcher had experienced a ruptured brain aneurysm. He has remained in the medical center ever since, until his release on Monday.
“None of us in here knew what to expect, and to be where he’s at today, it’s a miracle. It’s pretty awesome to see,” White Sox pitcher Nate Jones recently told MLB.com after visiting Farquhar in the hospital. “He’s a moving, functional human being. He’s Danny.”
According to a statement released by the White Sox on Monday, Dr. Demetrius Lopes, Farquhar’s neurosurgeon, told the team the pitcher will be able to return to the mound again sometime in the future — but he is not clearing Farquhar to play for the rest of the 2018 MLB season, so he can have time to recover.
RELATED: White Sox Pitcher Danny Farquhar Remains in the ICU After Suffering Brain Aneurysm During Game
Ruptured brain aneurysms occur when there is a bulging spot on an artery in the brain, which weakens over time as blood flows against it, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. This bulge can then swell and rupture as pressure builds, releasing blood around the brain.
Aneurysms are most prevalent in people 35 to 60 years old, the foundation says, and an estimated 6 million people in the United States have an unruptured brain aneurysm. Of the people who experience a rupture, 40 percent will die, and 66 percent of those who survive will experience neurological problems.
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Following news of his hospitalization, teams and players paid tribute to Farquhar by hanging his jersey in locker rooms and dugouts, or writing his name on gear. The White Sox have hung Farquhar’s No. 43 jersey in their dugout in his absence, something they plan to do until he rejoins them — whenever that may be.
“I told him that we are flying it until he walks in here,” Jones said. “We miss him out in the bullpen.”
