With Heart Surgery, Student Could Play Sports Again

A week after her  on the sidelines of a field hockey game, Breanna Sudano is expected to "make a full recovery and be able to go back to playing sports," said Perry Hall High School athletic director Robert Hruz.

"We're very happy about it," Hruz said.

Minutes after scoring the winning goal in a game against on Sept. 27, the freshman junior varsity player stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest.

Multiple parents and coaches, including Catonsville coach Christine Erlichman, rushed to the field to help perform CPR on Sudano, .

Sudano was transported by ambulance to St. Agnes Hospital and later transferred to the University of Maryland Medical Center. On Sept. 28, a told Patch that Sudano was listed in good condition.

Doctors say that Sudano's collapse was caused by a problem with her coronary artery, according to Hruz, "but it is completely treatable; she is going to have surgery in the next couple of days.

"The percentages of survival are very, very low for this type of thing," he said. "[Coaches and parents] not only saved her life, but because they did CPR, they did it so quickly, they didn't hesitate, they didn't wait ... there's no brain damage, no complications from lack of oxygen."

All are required to be CPR certified, Hruz said. "There were certified people on the field to give her the treatment she needed right away," he said.

Hruz said students have rallied around the Sudano family, including Breanna's older sister, senior Sam Sudano, a varsity field hockey player.

"Those girls love each other and they both love sports," he said.

sent a call to the homes of students on Friday, informing them that Sudano was doing well.

The student body has celebrated news of Sudano's recovery, said assistant principal Stephen Arnold.

"There's a support system here," Arnold said.

Catonsville Patch editor Penny Riordan contributed to this report.