Teen woke up from a medically-induced coma after 11 days—his first message through sign language left his mom emotional
A person's resilience might help them overcome seemingly impossible challenges. A mom was also surprised when her son woke up from a medically induced coma after 11 days. The teen, Dakota Trenkle Jr., had fallen into a ravine and had been missing for over three days when he was finally found. The doctors had to put him in a coma because of a brain bleed. Although it was a tough journey, he managed to wake up and had a special message for his mom, per PEOPLE.
"11 long days after being missing for 80 hours to have hope that Cody was going to be okay," the mom, Stephanie Neely, pointed out. The boy went missing while he was out skateboarding one day. He fell into a ravine and survived without food or water for over three days. Dakota's brother spotted his skateboard close to their house and it turned out to be a crucial clue for the case. A bloodhound named Darrell was deployed to locate the teen, who was a foot inside the water. He was airlifted to the hospital and was admitted with severe head trauma and many other serious injuries. The teen's skull was fractured as well. His kidneys were becoming weak and he needed a ventilator to breathe during his time at the hospital.
Neely stayed by her son's bedside to take care of him and support him throughout the challenging process. The teen boy started showing signs of being responsive and alert on August 8, according to a Facebook update from his mom on the group, Dakota Strong. Eventually, on August 9, the boy was conscious enough to say "I love you" to his mom in American Sign Language, according to PEOPLE. "That moment was pivotal to me. It’s made the last couple of weeks of stress, heartache, hope, gratitude, sadness and pain worth it. Because that small gesture meant my boy was coming back to me," Neely remarked. Dakota was taken off the ventilator a couple of days later, but he still has a long road to recovery.
The mom also shared the moment Dakota was able to have his first meal after days. "When Cody was being weened off sedation, off the ventilator and became more alert, he looked at me and said 'Mama, I’m thirsty, I need a 16 ounce coke from McDonald’s!' The next day, I had ordered him a Whopper from Burger King in hopes to get him to eat," Neely told the outlet. He was gradually taken off sedation as he was out of coma. By August 13, he was no longer on sedation, but the time after that was difficult for the teen in terms of pain.
"He can’t walk due to injuries and also loss of muscle mass during his time in the coma. He is struggling to talk for long periods of time out of pure exhaustion, the pneumonia and his other infections he is fighting." The mom added, "His brain injuries are still very prominent and are being monitored very closely." Dakota would soon be transferred to an inpatient unit at a pediatric hospital. He would receive physical, occupational and psychological therapy there to ensure his recovery. "We are very grateful for his progress and pleased we are finally moving in the right direction." The mom was very proud of her son's resilience through all of it.