Minnesota lacrosse community holds fundraiser for player injured during practice
A Minnesota high school lacrosse player is in the hospital recovering from a traumatic brain injury.
Blake Sundby, 15, was hit in the head with a lacrosse ball at a practice last month.
He was wearing a helmet but suffered a traumatic brain injury and had to be airlifted and then intubated.
Sundby plays for Sartell, but his story has resonated with the lacrosse community around the state.
At a Rogers-Maple Grove game Monday night, the Rogers Royals Lacrosse Booster Club held a "Bucks for Blake" fundraiser.
"This is Minnesota. This is what we do," said Josey Castellanos, the club's director. "We personally don't know Blake, but he's a lacrosse player. We love lacrosse players. We just want to go out there and help and rally behind him."
The Rogers club raffled off donated gift baskets and collected money to help with Sundby's medical expenses. Castellanos says they raised about $1,600.
Sundby's father, Nick, said in a text to WCCO that his son is no longer in critical condition.
"We have been overwhelmed by the amount of amazing support by so many!" Sundby wrote. "The lacrosse community is beyond amazing! Blake is going to have a very long road ahead of him in his recovery, but we will be with him every step of the way. It means the world to have such a large group of support rallying behind him, too."
Parents say this could've happened to any of their children.
"Injuries are something you always fear as a parent, and we just feel for anybody in our lacrosse community that's going through something as traumatic as Blake has gone through," said Erin Schindler of Maple Grove.
There's an online fundraiser for the Sundby family, and Blake Sundby's mother has posted daily updates on a CaringBridge page.