‘God wasn’t through with me’: Coach opens up about health crisis

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Burke County’s head Football coach, Eric Parker, is leading his team into a playoff game.

After health issues put him in the hospital, he’s leading from a slightly different position. The “medical emergency” was a heart attack.

We got a chance to talk to Parker about his recovery.

“I just felt dizziness, I can’t describe. It lasted a few seconds. I just thinking to myself, man, I’m about to fall. And that’s all I . You know, it was basically lights out,” he said.

Doctors say it was a silent heart attack taking place on an unusual day for a game, a Monday.

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“Normally on a Monday, guys in the backyard, raking leaves or cleaning his car out. He collapses with no warning like I did and nobody comes looking,” said Parker.

He sees this as a second chance.

“I just take it as a God wasn’t through with me, and he has more work for me to do,” he said.

His ions include working to motivate his players to learn life lessons from football.

“As life goes on, these guys will be able to pull from some of those experiences and become very successful in life,” he said.

One way he does this is through weekly devotionals. After everything Parker went through on Monday, he made it back Thursday to surprise his team.

“Just to get a chance to walk back in the door and see those guys and get a chance to do our weekly devotion. It was awesome, and I took it as a blessing as well,” said Parker.

Parker says everything happens for a reason, and now he hopes to inspire others by having more appreciation and gratitude for life.

Parker is hoping Burke County can pull out a few more wins in the playoffs, so he can get cleared by the doctors in time to return to the sideline this season.

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