Kyle Lessing (13), who remains in Johannesburg General Hospital after suffering a serious heart attack, has received devastating news from his doctors.

An MRI scan conducted on August 31 confirmed that Kyle sustained severe brain damage after spending weeks under heavy sedation following his August 3 collapse.

“Even if he does recover to a certain extent, Kyle will never be Kyle again,” says his mother, Charleen.

The scan also revealed that a pinched artery caused the heart attack.

• Read the initial article here: Havies cricket coach credited with saving learner’s life after heart attack

Charleen says an operation will be required to fix the artery.

“The chances of survival of this operation are at 50%, and doctors have opted to postpone it until they are satisfied that Kyle is strong enough.”

He collapsed and stopped breathing on the pitch during a cricket match at Laerskool Generaal De La Rey, shortly after complaining to his coach that he was not feeling well.

Teacher Christiaan Boshoff kept Kyle alive by performing CPR for 20 minutes until an ambulance arrived and transported him to hospital.

Kyle remains in hospital, where doctors plan to implant a feeding tube into his stomach.