Round Lake boy cleared for sports after heart attack

Del Bailey knew something was wrong when her 13-year-old son got winded carrying groceries in from the car last New Year's Eve.

A multisport athlete, Nathaniel Williams found himself mysteriously exhausted. He was out of breath. His heart was racing.

"It was scary," said the Round Lake mom. "I didn't know what to think but I knew it wasn't right. Nathaniel is a strong kid."

The Park School Campus eighth-grader was suffering from what the doctors called "cardiogenic shock." It's the equivalent of a heart attack for an adult.

Now, months after the life-threatening event, Williams has recovered. The doctors have cleared the linebacker to play the sport he loves. But what exactly happened remains unclear.

Bailey rushed her son to Advocate Condell Medical Center's Pediatric Emergency Department in Libertyville. The center's director, Dr. Charles Nozicka, was the first to treat Williams.

"His heart was enlarged and it wasn't clear as to whether this was a congenital issue or perhaps the effects of a virus," Nozicka said. "In any case, it was a very, very rare condition. I've been practicing for 25 years and have only seen three children that have suffered attacks like this."

After a number of tests, Williams was taken by ambulance to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

Doctors there monitored his situation closely and gave him an MRI and more blood tests. The results were inconclusive.

"The doctors were speculating about all kinds of things," Bailey said. "They were talking about heart transplants and pacemakers. It became overwhelming."

While the doctors pondered the cause and treatment, Williams' heart was slowly returning to its normal size during his weeklong stay at Lutheran.

The healing was unexpected and unexplained, but mother and son were relieved when Williams was finally released from the hospital.

But Williams got some tough news from the docs. He was ordered not to play sports until the start of the school year this month. Laying off from basketball and track season was rough.

"That was horrible," Williams said. "I couldn't play at all. I had to get my mind off sports and on to something else. I got a lot of homework done," he laughed.

Could the heart problems return? It's not clear.

"I still worry," Bailey said. "When I watch him at practice and he looks tired, I worry. But he is absolutely fine right now."