Despite a grim prognosis, the child, who was extubated by an order from the Quebec Supreme Court, will be released from hospital on Monday. His mother, who thanks the medical team at CHU Sainte-Justine, celebrates the completion of a miracle.
Posted at 2:50 p.m
“When we extubated him, we thought he wouldn’t survive, and by the grace of God he’s been breathing on his own ever since,” says Yolande*, who almost lost her boy to drowning last summer.
On Monday morning, parents and family friends gather outside CHU Sainte-Justine to celebrate the release of the child who was hospitalized for nine months.
Last June, the 5-year-old boy was found at the bottom of the family pool, staying under water for between 15 and 20 minutes. He was under the supervision of his grandmother, who could not swim.
The child was transferred to Sainte-Justine Hospital, in a coma, intubated and force-fed for over seven months. His brain was “seriously” damaged. However, signs indicated that he was able to breathe on his own. The medical team therefore offered to remove the endotracheal tube, which did him more harm than good in his situation and was likely to cause “serious, even fatal” harm.
However, the child’s parents piously opposed the proposed extubation, hoping for God’s intervention. They were keen for their boy to be reintubated in case of failure, which the doctors judged to be too risky.
The case went to the Quebec Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of extubation in the “best interest of the child.” The parents were fired in January after appealing the decision.
Finally, on February 16, the boy was extubated. As his condition is improving, he will be discharged from the hospital on Monday. “He’s getting better and better every day. Everything is well arranged at home because he doesn’t actually have to stay in the hospital, supports Yolande. He’s coming home tomorrow. »
The mother did not provide any information on the child’s progress, such as whether it can speak or walk again.
“We celebrate life. Just the fact that he’s alive makes us happy. We know it is the hand of God and the good care he received in the hospital, she replies. I am in ecstasy and all I can say is thank you Lord, thank you to the entire medical team. »
*Name changed to protect identity from the child
With Emilie Bilodeau, La Presse