Mayville State QB Coma Update

On Saturday, September 19th, during Mayville State’s game against Simpson University, QB Matthew Donovan took a helmet to helmet hit that would later result in him needing to be taken to a hospital in Fargo for a brain bleed. While at the hospital, surgery was performed to relieve pressure on the brain caused by the bleed that removed a portion of the skull followed by Donovan’s placement into the ICU.

The former Beaver at both Bemidji State and Minot State was placed into a medically induced coma and the school says when tested that Donovan’s eyes reacted normally to light which the neurosurgeon said was viewed as a huge win.

Then on Monday of this week the hospital informed Donovan’s parents that he needed to be treated for pneumonia, which is common for ICU patients to contract especially after being on the ventilator. There were positive updates that followed however as on Tuesday Donovan’s father spoke on social media to report that his son was able to squeeze his hand when asked as well as the hand of his mother.

Similarly, Donovan was reported to show signs of his eyelids twitching upon request to blink hard by both medical personnel and his parents. Also on Tuesday the next step was taken toward Donavan’s recovery as the breathing tube he was previously using was successfully removed and replaced with a trach.

Anyone wishing to support Donovan and his family can donate to his GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-matthew-donovans-recovery?attribution_id=sl:e8b9203b-7cdd-4954-90be-27ea42df74cf&lang=en_US&ts=1789909394&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp30-treatment-2&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwRlRTSAUczPhwZG9mBWZkaWQWUOzyILa9mLIdd951YABe1w7pEGO-SGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4HKQRv2BeUQB1c74eI3jl2ficEokmZRECOM4zvnqGZ0qEP-nynv2WvciCywg_aem_9VP-Na4VucUiuSYyM3eV_g