Lewis (Lew) Turner is a Junior at Chelsea High School and like many high schoolers, he loves to play sports. He plays baseball and ice hockey, is popular with his teammates, and always puts in his best effort. At the age of 16 Lew was living a typical, busy life as a student and athlete – until one day in March 2025.
“Those Two Words Changed My Life Forever”
That day in March started out ordinarily enough. Lew was between games for the state hockey playoffs, relaxing in the pool with his teammates.
Lew remembers that suddenly, “I got this weird feeling like I’m going to pass out. I thought something was wrong, so I got out of the pool to lay down in my room and thought I’d be fine. But once I started walking out of the pool, I had tunnel vision and it all went black. It felt like an elephant was on top of me.”
It was then that Lew heard his friend Jacob Burbank tell him to “get up.” Lew says, “Those two words changed my life forever.” You see, Lew’s friend Jacob had passed away after a brief illness a few months earlier.
Even as Lew struggled to understand what he had just experienced, the reality of his situation was only beginning to unfold. What felt like a spiritual wake-up call was, in fact, the first sign of a life-threatening heart condition that would change everything.
Lew was diagnosed with a serious condition where the heart cannot pump properly – in medical terms, arrhythmogenic and dilated cardiomyopathy with heart failure. His treatment included an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). In the middle of hospital visits, uncertainty, and a dramatically altered future, Lew found himself thinking often about Jacob, the friend whose voice he had heard and whose presence had always pushed him to be stronger/i
A Friendship that Grew to Brotherly Love
Lew talks about his friendship with Jacob. It began when they were about 13 years old when Jacob played with the Howell Cougars hockey team. Lew remembers, “I noticed from the beginning that he was a quiet kid, and I decided to pick him up and include him in everything. That’s when our friendship grew, and he had a huge impact on my life. We had a lot in common, like watching games and playing NHL on the gaming console. We would wrestle in the locker room because I was a big kid and he was the only other big kid – like brotherly love.” Today, Lew holds Jacob’s memory close to him.
“They Told Me I Would Never Play Hockey Again”
Since that day in March, Lew has had to make a lot of adjustments to his new and complicated daily routine. He is all too aware that “Taking care of myself now is a little different. Some days you think you don’t want to do it anymore. Yeah, it gets old, but I’m willing to do it to get better.” And Lew doesn’t want to just get better. He wants to play ice hockey again. Even when the doctors didn’t think Lew could.
Lew says “I didn’t believe it. I knew I would play that game again and step foot on the ice” and gives Jacob the credit for his returning to sports. “Jacob pushed me to play this game, and I knew that God wouldn’t put me here without a reason.”
Lew describes the first time he returned to the ice rink and was “super excited to play. I stepped into the locker room and saw red jerseys with a big heart and a lightning bolt through it. They were made special. I noticed how much people care for me and I realized I have something to fight for and I am doing it for them.”
Lew’s Amazing Comeback
Lew admits, “This has been the most difficult time of my life, and my family has been the most supportive. They all believe in me – my mom and her partner Dimitri, my dad, my sister, my grandma and my grandpa.”
Lew has also received a lot of support from his coaches, and they talk about his comeback in baseball and hockey.
Kevin Ahrens is VP of Operations at the Legacy Center and Lew’s baseball coach. Coach Ahrens talks about Lew’s amazing return to baseball. “We learned about his situation and the only thing I could think about was how do we get Lew back on the baseball diamond. Things progressed and we were able to welcome him back with open arms.”
Coach Ahrens describes Lew’s first game back as “unbelievable. He came off the bench as a pinch-hit opportunity and hit an RBI double, almost a home run. The bench was fired up and excited because Lew is just an awesome component to our team, an energy giver. The potential is there for him and the sky is the limit.”
Derek Schaedig, Assistant Coach for Chelsea Varsity Hockey, also talks about Lew’s first game back on the ice hockey team. Coach Schaedig says “Lew returned to play after battling for so long to get back on the ice – and his first game back he scored the only goal for his team. It was a big moment for me, the coaching staff, and the team. It reminded me of why sports can be so powerful and bring a team together.”
I Keep the Memory that Jacob Never Quit
As Lew continues on his journey, the memory of that strong bond and brotherly love with Jacob keeps him going. Lew explains, “I want to fight for Jacob and live the life he never could. I keep the memory that he never quit.”
By sharing his personal story, Lew paves the way for others who are facing difficult challenges. According to Lew’s mom, Becky, “He’s always encouraging others by saying, ‘If I can do it, you can do it.’ Lew always leads by example and has found the meaning and spirit of life.”
The last Chelsea Ice Hockey game of the season was on Valentine’s Day, dubbed Heart Awareness Hockey Game. The audience was encouraged to wear red to the game and given information on how to donate to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
Featured Photo: Lewis Turner NIck Wilson and Randy Schneider: Lewis Turner with Coaches Nick Wilson and Randy Schneider. Courtesy of Becky Turner.
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