Good timing provided chopper that rescued boy

An eight-year-old boy’s against-all-odds survival is being credited in part to some very fortunate timing.

Samuel Gross was submerged in nearly freezing water for 20 minutes about two weeks ago before he was pulled out by a relative. He was then airlifted to a Winnipeg hospital by a helicopter ambulance not normally available in Manitoba.

The boy had become caught in a culvert on the Westrock Hutterite Colony near Portage la Prairie, Man., 100 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

The high-tech chopper that took him to hospital was only in the province because the government had been leasing it from Alberta to help fight flooding. Ontario, British Columbia and Nova Scotia are the only other jurisdictions with at least one air ambulance.

The helicopter’s ability to move Samuel quickly has made an impression on the government, which had already been considering whether to acquire choppers for medical emergencies.

"This particular incident shows how the helicopter can fit within the actual emergency response system . . . it certainly illustrates that there was a benefit there," Bernadette Preun, assistant deputy minister for health emergency services, said Friday.

Doctors at the hospital kept his body chilled for two days to prevent brain inflammation before slowly warming Samuel back up. After a tense first night in hospital, with doctors fighting to clear stomach contents from his lungs, the boy's vital signs appeared strong. But nobody could determine if his brain had been deprived of oxygen long enough to cause brain damage. His family prayed and sang religious songs around his hospital bed.

On Wednesday, he woke up and was able to recite his name, birth date and father's cellphone number. His family called it a miracle.

Sam's arm still aches - he injured it while being sucked through the culvert - but his father says he's eager to leave the hospital. "Day by day, he will get better," said Mr. Gross. "A couple of weeks maybe and he will go home."

At the Westroc colony yesterday, residents had grown weary of the media attention Sam's story had brought. Barraged with media calls, many said they would no longer answer questions.

The survival of an 8-year-old Canadian boy who was submerged in icy water for 20 minutes and awoke from a 13-day coma "is remarkable," a doctor said.