West Cleared to Play After Possible Life-Threatening Injury

Cal State Northridge soccer player Keith West has been given medical clearance to resume playing after a frightening incident that his doctor said could have cost him his life.

West accidentally banged his nose into an opponent’s head Oct. 3 against Oregon State and missed the next two matches.

He thought his nose was broken because of persistent swelling, bleeding and breathing difficulties. Doctors assured him it wasn’t.

He was prepared to play against UCLA last Friday, but went to yet another doctor, plastic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Stein, earlier in the day.

Stein informed West that he had fractured the septum, or cartilage in his nose, and that it had bled internally and formed an abscess. The infection was spreading to his brain.

“He told me, ‘If you try to play, you could die,’ ” West said. “ ‘You could risk going into a coma. My advice is that we need to operate right now.’ ”

West remained hospitalized after the surgery until Monday and was cleared Wednesday to play.

“As bad as it was, I’m fine now,” he said. “I laugh about it now, but at the time I was really scared.”

West, a sophomore midfielder, is the Matadors’ second-leading scorer with 14 points.