As 18-year-old Kade Sutton lay in a hospital bed recovering from a near-fatal cardiac arrest, the only thing he can recall seeing was a whiteboard on which his father had written: "Kado, you will play cricket again".
Three months later, the Charlestown all-rounder and Newcastle representative player has made that prediction come true.
Kade collapsed after suffering heart failure on August 25 as he warmed up with teammates before training at Hunter Sports High.
His coach and Charlestown teammate Jed Dickson performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
The teenager spent 24 hours in an induced coma, and almost a week in hospital.
One of the first questions he asked his parents was how many games of cricket would he have to miss.
"They said, 'You might be having a break', and I was pretty devastated," Kade said.
"But three months off isn't the worst-case scenario for me, I don't think.
"I've got to be grateful that I'm here."
Now, he is back on the field with some extra kit, in the form of a defibrillator that was surgically inserted under his left armpit.
Jed Dickson (left) performed CPR after Kade Sutton went into cardiac arrest. (Supplied)
Back at bat
Far from being apprehensive, the promising all-rounder has been impatiently counting down the days, and was delighted to receive a clearance from Cricket Australia's cardiologist to resume playing slightly ahead of schedule.
"Like, I'm here now, so why should I hold back?" Kade said.
He might have scored just three runs from 21 balls in his team's recent loss to Newcastle City — his first match back after the cardiac arrest — but he is back playing the sport he loves.
He is also closer than ever to the man who has coached him since the under-11s.
"Jed had just done his refresher course for first aid," Kade said.
"He thought at first I might have had an epileptic attack, but then I just had no pulse or anything, so he knew something was definitely wrong, so he definitely had to start CPR.
"As much as it was a … very bad event, it was probably good it happened at that time and place."
Kade said he would be forever grateful to Jed.
"You can't really pay someone back for saving your life," he said.
"He really is part of the family now — I can't thank Jed enough."
Test stars' support
Jed said his young teammate was "a fighter".
"He's got a huge fighting spirit, no matter where he is, and I'm sure that helped him through the whole situation," he said.
"Loves his cricket, loves having fun and loves life in general."
Kade said he was also indebted to some of his cricketing heroes, after being invited to spend two days with the New South Wales team for the Sheffield Shield match against South Australia.
Test stars like Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc took him under their wings.
"It gave him a little bit of extra motivation," his mother Kelly Sutton said.
Kade Sutton with cricketing stars Nathan Lyon (left) and Mitchell Starc (right). (Supplied: Cricket NSW)
"They were saying to him, 'We all get injuries, and we know yours is pretty severe, but you've got to get better and look after yourself and you'll be back'.
"He really took that on board."
Big dreams for the future
Kade has a pre-existing heart condition that cardiologists have been monitoring since childhood, but he said they "still don't know" why he went into cardiac arrest.
The defibrillator gives him a sense of confidence, and he is intent on making the most of his second shot at life.
Although unable to sit his HSC exams on doctor's orders, Kade has already qualified to study criminology and psychological science at the University of Newcastle next year.
Meanwhile, he's still got some cricketing dreams he intends to realise.
"I think it's going to drive me even more," he said.
"I'm a very driven person … I believe in myself."