USU Basketball Coach Put Into Coma After COVID-19 Related Medical Scare
Feb 15, 2022, 2:51 PM
(Courtesy of Utah State Athletics)
(Courtesy of Utah State Athletics)
LOGAN, Utah – Utah State women’s basketball coach Kayla Ard was put into a medically induced coma due to a COVID-19 related medical scare.
Kayla Ard is in the middle of her second season with Utah State and missed their game on Saturday, February 12 against Boise State.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ard released a statement about why she did not coach the Aggies on Saturday.
“I’m sure there are quite a few people in Cache Valley and at Utah State University that are wondering why I was not on the sidelines for our game against Boise State last weekend,” said Ard.
An update from head coach Kayla Ard 💙#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/vnoZeX3TuE
— USU Women's Hoops (@USUWBasketball) February 15, 2022
Utah State Coach Kayla Ard Put Into Coma Due To Medical Scare Related To COVID-19
Ard continued to provide an update in her statement.
“On Friday, Feb. 11, around 6:45 p.m., I sat down to watch the Aggie men’s basketball game and noticed my throat was suddenly really sore,” Ard wrote. “Within 30 minutes I knew something was really wrong. I went and looked in the mirror and the right side of my throat was swollen shut. In that moment, I stayed pretty poised, as this has happened once before in 2015 when I was coaching at Clemson.”
Ard mentioned that she called her mother, who just moved to Logan about seven months ago, to pick her up and take her to the emergency room.
“We arrived at Logan Regional Hospital around 8 p.m. as the ER workers were quickly setting up to intubate me, I asked my mom to call our Athletics Director John Hartwell to let him know I wouldn’t be at the game the next day. I was then put into a medically induced coma as I was intubated, and put on a ventilator, in hopes the swelling in my throat would go down so I could breathe on my own again. I was then placed into the ICU.”
Ard talked about the doctors deciding to remove the tube from her throat just as their game against Boise State was starting. Doctors took her into the operating room and prepared to do a tracheotomy if she was not able to breathe fully on her own when they took her off the ventilator.
“Thankfully, by the grace of God, that wasn’t the case and I started breathing on my own in the operating room,” Ard stated. “As I began to wake up, the first thing the doctors told me was, ‘your team just won!’ I was placed in the ICU for monitoring and on Monday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m., I was released to go home to recover.”
According to Ard, doctors believe the episode occurred because she tested positive for COVID-19. One of the big symptoms of COVID is swelling.
“So that mixed with the history of me having Angioedema seven years ago, is likely what triggered this episode,” Ard continued. “I am now on medication to avoid further issues and there is a very rare injection, much like an epipen, that I will have just in case it ever occurs again. I am fully vaccinated and boosted and do not have any COVID symptoms. I feel great and can’t wait to get back with the squad.”
Ard announced that she will not rejoin the team for a couple more days, in order to keep her team healthy. Jauwan Scaife will continue to lead the team until Ard returns. Utah State women’s basketball is currently 8-16 overall and 3-11 in Mountain West play. They will travel to Air Force on Saturday, February 19 at 1 p.m. MT.
