Little League mom saves referee’s life after he was hit in the neck by a foul ball

Worcester, Mass. (WFXT) – A Massachusetts Little League referee says a player’s mother saved his life after he was hit in the neck by a foul ball in a bizarre accident.

As a Little League umpire, Korey Pontbriand is used to calling strikes from behind the plate, not throwing them, but at the Worcester Red Sox game on Tuesday night, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. At his side were family, friends and Dr. Jennifer LaFemina, whom he calls his “guardian angel.”

“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you,” Pontbriand said.

Three weeks ago, the umpire called the balls and strikes for the Jimmy Fund District 5 semifinals. LaFemina’s son, Grayson, was on the mound to start the game.

In the second inning, a foul ball hit Pontbriand in the neck. He had been hit in exactly the same spot a year ago and had only recently recovered.

“It hit me right in the throat,” said the referee. “It really is like a freak accident.”

After the incident, LaFemina, an oncologist at UMass Memorial Health Cancer Center, kept a close eye on Pontbriand from the stands. She and her medical assistant, who was also present at the game, decided to intervene a few innings later. They had noticed troubling symptoms that were getting progressively worse.

“Jennifer pulled me over there and said, ‘You’re showing me a lot of signs that worry me. You’re stumbling… You’re running a little off track, so I want you off the field,'” Pontbriand said.

“When we tried to take him to the hospital, he was arrested,” said LaFemina.

She immediately began CPR and other life-saving measures. With the help of those around her, she managed to get Pontbriand breathing again until the emergency services arrived.

“We train our whole lives to stay calm in tense situations. When that situation occurs, you go to another place. The place you go is simply: ‘Here is a task we need to do,'” LaFemina said.

Pontbriand woke up in hospital two days later suffering from swelling in his neck. During his eleven-day stay, LaFemina visited him regularly.

“She is my guardian angel,” he said.

After his release from the hospital, Pontbriand got a new tattoo: It shows a baseball with wings and the inscription “Dr. JL, my guardian angel.”

“This is my family now, and until my last breath we will remain a family,” he said.

While LaFemina was treating Pontbriand on the baseball field, her son scored the decisive point, allowing his team to advance to the finals, which they later won.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Pontbriand and his family with medical expenses.

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