Publisher’s note: Information on the extent of the youth’s injuries is being published here only as it has been shared on social media and therefore already been made public. Normally The Red Bay News would not publish protected, private health information on individuals or identify minors in this manner without permission.
BELMONT | Two Belmont High School football players are walking, talking miracles this week after both suffered severe injuries in Friday’s night’s game against Kossuth that resulted in both being taken to regional hospitals for treatment – one by helicopter to Memphis.
Kylei Estes and Andrew Merino posed for a photo together in Belmont late Sunday, something Estes’ parents and family had no idea would even be a possibility Saturday after Estes suffered a spinal cord concussion in Friday night’s game, which left him with extreme weakness on his right side and weakness in both legs. Merino was injured in the game as well, suffering a severe concussion that his family did not realize was as bad as it was initially as much of the concern was focused on Estes.
Late in the third quarter during Friday night’s game against Kossuth, the Aggies’ quarterback kept the ball and ran around the right side, heading for the goal line. He was met by a group of Belmont tacklers, one of whom was Estes. Immediately following the collision, Estes fell to the turf near the goal line and did not move. It was very apparent something had gone badly wrong. For the next 20 minutes emergency medical technicians worked to stabilize Estes and prepare him to be taken by ambulance to meet a helicopter. Estes was flown to a Memphis hospital.
Estes’ aunt, Lydia Estes Slayton, was one of the EMTs working with him on the field.
“It was an absolute nightmare,” Slayton said. “I work the ambulance and stayed with him until he got in the helicopter. When he asked me in the back of the ambulance before the helicopter got there, ‘Lydia, can you not just fix me like always and us go home?’ with a big tear rolling down his face, it absolutely broke my soul. Because to him, I can fix everything, and it killed me to have to tell him that I couldn’t fix that.”
While Estes was being flown to Memphis, Merino’s family realized his injuries were greater than initially thought. They took him to a Tupelo hospital, where he was diagnosed with a severe concussion.
Calls for prayer for Estes began going up immediately on social media, and later, when the extent of Merino’s injuries was known, the community’s prayers began covering both Kylie, Andrew, and their families. Family members as well as the Belmont Athletics Foundation began posting updates Saturday morning on both players.
In Estes’ case, doctors informed his family that his injury was a very, very fine line between being able to make a recovery and being paralyzed the rest of his life. With all praise to God, Estes was on the right side of that line.
Both Estes and Merino are still dealing with the effects of their injuries. For Estes, that will mean wearing a brace to help his spine rest. There will also be therapy to help him regain his strength and balance. Merino’s injuries, which included short-term memory loss and being stuck in a “cognitive loop,” as his mother, Amanda, shared, have begun to ease, too.
Slayton said both boys wanted everyone to know they appreciated the prayers that had gone up for them. She described both boys as “walking miracles.”
Estes and his family were welcomed back into Belmont with a police escort Sunday afternoon. Slayton said when Estes arrived home, he immediately dropped off his stuff and was taken to see his friend, Merino, where the two posed for the photo together.
Adrienne Estes shared on Saturday that Kylei’s spirit and attitude were going to be key to his recovery.
“Kylei is determined that he is going to play in the county rival game against Tishomingo County Friday night,” Adrienne wrote. “The doctors say that his determination is and will be a big deciding factor in his future recovery.”
Slayton said that is just who Kylei is, and something that happened at the hospital was in fitting for Kylei’s personality – and hospital staff took note of it.
“He sent a message out to all the football players while he was in the emergency room still, saying ‘Can’t keep me down boys, I’m BATMAN.’ The ICU nurse made him a Batman cape with a hospital gown when he stood to walk, which shocked all of them and the doctors completely.”
