By Richy Zajic and Jarra Gojolo
UPDATE: JULY 30
Schmidt has been released from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center today, his mother announced on CaringBridge. He has been making strides physically and cognitively since his May car accident.
“Small exercises such as drawing a clock, connecting numbers, putting simple events in sequence, all have more than doubled in improvement even just over the last 2 weeks per his therapists,” reads the the latest update.
Schmidt’s return point marks an important step as he continues his journey back to full health.
San Jose State freshman lineman Kyane Schmidt was involved in a single-car rollover accident in Santa Barbara County on May 20, according to the school.
According to Schmidt’s CaringBridge page, he suffered a major brain injury, minor bleeding near his liver and kidney and two fractured ribs after being ejected from his vehicle.
He was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in a deep coma and is currently still there and is stable. The doctor there reportedly claimed he will be in a coma for multiple weeks.
Schmidt’s mother, Audrey Hutton, posted on her Facebook page that Schmidt was on his way to see friends and driving through Santa Barbara to get there. She never received a call from him saying he reached his destination and after she tried reaching him repeatedly, she received a call from the hospital.
According to a May 22 update from Hutton, there are around 30 medical professionals with various specialties monitoring Schmidt 24/7. The doctor explained to Schmidt’s family that they are keeping him at a cool temperature in order to limit the amount of oxygen going to his brain to reduce inflammation.
His intracranial pressure levels are being monitored constantly along with other vitals like heart rate and blood pressure. His pupils have been responding normally to light thus far in hourly tests, which is a positive sign, according to the post.
According to a May 26 update from Hutton, Schmidt remains in stable condition. Nurses have reduced propofol, a sedative medication taken to help reduce awareness, which in turn alleviates the swelling of the brain.
Hutton also said in her daily post that Schmidt’s care team is working to increase his body temperature, as he is currently at a hypothermic state of 92 degrees Fahrenheit.
Their goal is to bump him up to 94.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The higher the temperature, the better his oxygen flow, which is positive.
Since May 23, Hutton has consistency used the term, “wonderful” to describe the daily progress.
Schmidt is a San Jose native and attended Valley Christian High School. He did not play a snap for the Spartans in 2019.\
The Spear will continue to provide updates on Schmidt’s health as they are released.