Sports

Youth Wrestler with Heart Condition Named Co-Rookie of the Year

The 40-pound wrestler who has had two heart surgeries was named co-rookie of the year by the Solon Youth Wrestling organization, reports our partners at WEWS Channel 5.

There's no wonder the Solon Youth Wrestling organization named Eric Boykin rookie of the year, as our partners at NewsNet5.com report

Eric Boykin, who turned 7 on April 16, struggles with opponents on the mats, but he's had a far tougher struggle with undiagnosed heart defects since he was born. 

The Parkside Elementary School first grader, who is all of 40 pounds, just started wrestling a few months ago and he's already an award-winning wrestler in Ohio. 

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The champ went through two open heart surgeries which has put the Boykin family through what his mother, Holly, describes as a "tremendous roller coaster ride."

Seven years ago in a Massachusetts hospital, Holly and Bill Boykin found themselves in the midst of a life-changing event.

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The birth of their new baby, Eric, had gone smoothly, much like the births of her other two sons. But they had to leave their new son in the hospital following a blood oxygen test that alerted their pediatrician to possible problems with Eric's tiny heart valves, reports our partners at WEWS Channel 5.

Holly was forced to quit her job to deal with multiple surgeries until Eric was three and half years old. He's been nothing but fulltime energy since, though will likely need to see a cardiologist for the rest of his life. His heart valve will stabilize as he grows, but possibly never be 100 percent.

"That's why it's really important to catch these things early. That's one reason why I've been involved in health (advocacy) since," said Holly. "There's a bill right now in Ohio, Senate Bill 4. What it is, is the first way to check for a child's blood oxygen level is a simple test and it's not a requirement now for babies to check out of a hospital. I'm working with Mended Little Hearts of Northeast Ohio and the American Heart Association to make that a requirement." 

Ohio and many other states have seen student-athlete deaths from undiagnosed heart problems similar to what the Boykins’ son Eric has. The Boykins, along with Ohio Sen. Tom Patton, who lost a grown son to an undiagnosed heart problem, are hoping for Senate Bill 4 to pass.

Officials at Solon Youth Wrestling are naming him co-rookie of the year at their sports banquet on Monday following a first-place finish at the Edison Tournament in Milan, Ohio.

To see the entire NewsNet5.com story and a video, click here


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