Columbia, SC (WLTX) - — Richland Northeast High School football players and coaches packed St. Luke Baptist Church in Columbia Sunday afternoon for a special service to honor Quarterback Josh Boyd.
Boyd was the Cavaliers starting quarterback this season and was also the team leader in passing touchdowns and passing yards.
On October 10th, Boyd was playing a pickup basketball game with Columbia Firefighters before collapsing on the hardwood floor. The firefighters proceeded to perform CPR on Boyd and brought him back to life.
After going through open heart surgery, the junior quarterback now says he wants to treasure everything he has.
“You never know when you’re going to leave this earth, and I just feel like I need to cherish life more.” Boyd said.
Boyd only spent three days in the hospital after surgery was performed.
Joyce Boyd, Boyd's mother, felt her son's quick recovery was a medical miracle.
“What’s so unique about it is they said, they don’t know how he fell out, had the surgery, and now he just got back up so it was definitely the grace of god.” she said.
Bennet Weigle, Richland Northeast Football Coach, says Boyd is a leader on and off the field.
“He’s a great role model for our younger kids. He's the only junior that we have that was elected captain by our teammates, so that tells you what his teammates think of him.” Weigle says.
Although Boyd will miss the rest of this season and was diagnosed with an enlarged heart, Boyd and his mother are hopeful he'll be able to make a return to the field.
“I definitely want to keep playing football, but if that doesn't’t work then I definitely want to be a dermatologist or something similar to that." Boyd said.