Thank you all for the nice consideration. It's been a completely different kind of last two years, filled with enormous shock, a sort of PTST effect on me (not overwhelmingly bad, though), and a kind of triumphant recovery for him. Am glad and lucky to have pretty good insurance, or this would have broken us. The day I had to try to revive him, he had just been awakened to go to the cardiologist. We were lucky he wasn't as his Mom's house that week (he split's time 50/50). She often has to go to work as he is getting up or just before. Had that been the case, he would not be with us now. With the right beta-blocker, which has been very effective, the Dr. did note that his actual risk goes below that of a bad diabetic or a child with a peanut allergy. He's also got an implanted defibrillator, which adds a degree of safety but requires protection. On the good side, the ICD implant monitors all heartbeats 24-7. This assists with analysis and has allowed him to build confidence as he has returned to more activity.
Obviously, we wondered if it made any sense at all to try to play baseball again. He was/is a very good player and had attracted some (but not a lot) of college inquiries. But it won't be a career. And yet I wondered that if he accepted a severe limitation so early in life, maybe that would impact is activity levels for many years to come. It seemed like less of a life. When doctors said he could return to sports, there was an aspect of "just go for it" that seemed appropriate. I actually showed him the Hank Gathers video as a way to make a point: you follow directions with regard to that medication. Failing to do so could be fatal.
In a strange way, I'm not sure that the experience has been a negative. It seems to have focused him in school and in his life. He's had to speak to large groups and seems to be getting comfortable doing so. I would imagine a college application essay about this experience may be a net positive. There is that aspect of "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" that while an obvious cliche, may be what it really is for him.
