Tragedy struck the Rock Spring Athletic Association (RSAA) in Georgia last week when Brantley Chandler, a six-year-old boy, died suddenly. Brantley, who was a catcher for the Rock Spring Mustangs baseball team, died from a heart attack while posing for a team photo.
“RSAA would like to express it’s deepest sympathies to the family of little Brantley Chandler,” the Rock Spring Athletic Association said in a statement. “He was part of the RSAA family and left this world suddenly last night. He was a joy to watch play baseball and always had a smile on his face. He will be missed dearly by his friends, teammates, coaches, and mostly his family.”
According to his mother Meghan Bryson, Brantley suffered from a rare congenial heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).
Less than a thousand children in the United States are born with the defect each year, according to WTVC.
“Brantley was an outgoing little boy who was in the first grade at Chickamauga Elementary School,” Brantley’s obituary published by Lane Funeral Home reads. “When he was not playing baseball, Brantley could be found enjoying what the outdoors had to offer. He loved hunting, fishing, spending time with his hunting dog ‘Boss,’ riding four wheelers, and playing in the mud getting his boots dirty! Brantley could ask more questions than anyone in a minute, he loved tractors and heavy equipment, and he attended Faith Baptist Church in Ringgold.”
The Rock Spring Athletic Association will hold a special tribute to Brantley on opening day, April 13.
Our deepest condolences are with Brantley’s family, friends, and all of those impacted by his untimely and tragic passing.