Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Treatment for a broken wrist typically means a cast, or in some cases, surgery.
So when Sabrina Leavens got the call that her son, Cody, “May” have broken his at an after-school program, she figured the Thanksgiving holiday, which was just days away, might be a little less cheerful.
“I figured he’d just be sitting there holding his arm when I got there, but that wasn’t the case,” Sabrina recalled.
When Sabrina arrived, she saw every mother’s worst fear.
“I looked over and I saw the ambulance there, and a kid laying on the ground, and I’m like what’s this? Like, what’s — no. And I got closer, and I’m like no, no, this ain’t gonna happen,” she said.
“He was just gasping for air, and I just looked at her and just started screaming,” Sabrina continued. “I kind of hit my knees. I know I remember giving her a hug and just screaming, yelling.”
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At first, nobody knew what exactly what had happened to Cody.
His wrist was badly broken, and he’d need a specialist to fix it, but it was clear something much more serious was going on.
His blood pressure plummeted. Then, he complained of stomach pain.
When his abdomen began to swell, things went from bad to worse.
“His stomach was split in half, disconnected,” Sabrina explained. “And his organs were smushed.”
Cody was airlifted from Bath and rushed into emergency surgery at Golisano Children’s Hospital.
“I have never seen a kid with the amount of injuries that he had,” explained Dr. David Darcy, a pediatric surgeon at Golisano.
So, what did happen to Cody? How did a perfectly healthy 11-year-old end up fighting for his life?
Sabrina soon learned that a tree had fallen on top of him while he was playing in the yard of where his afterschool program is held.
“I didn’t even believe it was still that tree,” she said. “I mean, it’s a big ash tree, it’s big, it’s heavy. It was laying beside him, but it was going the same direction as him.”
“This tree that fell on him, you can imagine, a tree diagonal across his body,” Darcy explained. “His arm was up, and every organ in that path was damaged. His kidney, his liver, his stomach, his pancreas, his spleen, his left lung, his left wrist.”
Cody’s injuries were severe, and his recovery was long.
He lost his spleen and nearly 80% of his pancreas.
“He’s got to be on medicine for the rest of his life, pretty much,” Sabrina said. “He did really good in physical therapy. It was really hard at first.”
But Darcy said Cody is resilient.
“He was in the intensive care unit for several weeks, and he really bounced back just incredibly,” Darcy said.
The list of doctors, nurses and specialists who cared for Cody is extensive, and Sabrina said she’s forever grateful.
“They came in constantly,” she said. “He was under constant watch.”
“They didn’t push me out, even though he was in a state of not moving,” Sabrina continued.
Today, thanks to his team at Golisano, Cody is back to being a kid.
He’s riding his scooter, swimming, playing with friends, and soon, his mom think he’ll be back on his bike.
“He’s just, he’s full of smile, and he’s getting his weight back, and just doing amazing,” Sabrina said. “As far as his recovery, it’s (as) if he didn’t see the scar. You wouldn’t think of it.”
Most importantly, Cody is just being a kid again.
And Sabrina? She’s got her son back home.
13WHAM is highlighting Miracle Kids at Golisano Children’s Hospital this week.
CLICK HERE if you’re interested in making a donation to Golisano to help make more miracles happen.
MORE: Golisano Children’s Hospital celebrates new facility’s 10th anniversary
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