Little Ryah Hope clutches a toddlerB次元官网网址檚 cup with water in it. A gentle finger touches his jaw and strokes his throat in a downward motion as he is reminded to suck, not chew, on the straw. At first he struggles to figure out how to use the straw, but soon he remembers.
From across the dining room, you can see him swallowing sips of water.
This might not be a big deal for your average three-year-old, but it is for Ryah who only recently started taking food and drink by mouth.
Ryah nearly died following a drowning in Cultus Lake on June 1. He had wandered away from his familyB次元官网网址檚 lakefront house on his bike and mom Natalie Hope figures he was underwater for about 15 to 20 minutes before she and husband Cameron found him, pulled him from the water and started performing CPR.
In the weeks that followed, all Ryah could do was lie in a hospital bed. His head was floppy, he had a feeding tube, and he wasnB次元官网网址檛 very alert.
All that changed following six weeks of hyperbaric oxygen treatment he had in Louisiana with Dr. Paul Harch, something thatB次元官网网址檚 not covered by health care for drowning patients, Natalie said.
The treatment is done in a chamber where pressurized oxygen is pumped in. For Ryah, he went inside the chamber once a day, five days a week, with one of his parents for 50 minutes each time.
B次元官网网址淚t kind of gives an influx of oxygen to the brain. The science behind it is that, with brain injuries, if you catch it soon after the event and those cells are still in the transition of dying and you give them oxygen, then they are able to wake up and gain function.B次元官网网址�
She said that was exactly what they saw with Ryah.
B次元官网网址淎s soon as we started doing it, little by little, day by day, he was able to move his neck, able to lift his head.B次元官网网址�
They also did physical therapy and stem cell treatment while they were in the States.
The Hopes recently moved from Abbotsford to a rancher in Yarrow where itB次元官网网址檚 easier for the three-year-old to get around.
Ryah can now pull himself up into a sitting position by himself when heB次元官网网址檚 lying on the floor, can stay sitting up on his own, is able to walk with the help of a walker, can pick up and plunk toys into containers, and can eat some soft solid foods that are fed to him.
He wasnB次元官网网址檛 able to do any of that before the hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 improving at a crazy fast, fast rate. ItB次元官网网址檚 really, really encouraging.B次元官网网址�
Natalie said her family is grateful to everyone who donated to a GoFundMe so they could charter a $65,000 one-way medical flight, plus pay $8,000 for a travel nurse to go with them to Louisiana for the hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
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She said B次元官网网址渢he faith and the hopeB次元官网网址� was that they would not need a medical flight coming home after treatment, and turns out they didnB次元官网网址檛 because Ryah had progressed so much.
The family has since bought an in-home hyperbaric oxygen treatment chamber for Ryah which heB次元官网网址檒l be using for at least the next two years.
Natalie said they are now looking into a nervous system-based physical therapy called Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI) that will best help his mobility. Like the hyperbaric oxygen treatment, MNRI is also not covered in Canada.
They have a fundraiser coming up on Nov. 4 called B次元官网网址楻yahB次元官网网址檚 Revival: Journey to RecoveryB次元官网网址� at Cheam Source for Sports to help pay for treatments, therapy and other medical expenses. It is a ticketed event where people will be able to meet Ryah and the Hope family, bid on silent- and live-auction items, and hear about the charity that the Hopes want to launch to help other families like them.
B次元官网网址淲e feel so grateful because I know in my heart that he wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be where he is right now if we hadnB次元官网网址檛 gone and done thisB次元官网网址� and gone broke trying to get him to where he is,B次元官网网址� Natalie said. B次元官网网址淏ut, I feel like itB次元官网网址檚 kind of paving the way for other families. They can learn from our horrible situation and do things differently.B次元官网网址�
Ryah, who is currently non-verbal, will turn four just three days after the fundraiser. SheB次元官网网址檚 hoping he will be able to start Kindergarten next September.
B次元官网网址淚f we can get him there and he doesnB次元官网网址檛 have to lack that experience then my heart will be really happy.B次元官网网址�
The B次元官网网址楻yahB次元官网网址檚 RevivalB次元官网网址� fundraiser is Saturday, Nov. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Cheam Source for Sports. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at . To donate to the family, go to . To learn more about Ryah and his medical expenses, go to .
