Boy, 11, remains in coma
Published 12:00 am Saturday, April 27, 2002
They hold his motionless hand, talk to him and keep the Disney Channel running near his bed, but since Tuesday, when Caleb Slaton was hit in the chest with a baseball, his parents havent seen him move or heard his voice. Since he went down, we havent talked (with) him, said Stanley Slaton, the father of the comatose 11-year-old. He hasnt looked at us. Thats what Im waiting to see. I want to see his eyes looking at me, Slaton said, his voice cracking with emotion. Caleb was tossing a baseball with another child just minutes before a 7:30 p.m. scrimmage game at Russellville City Park when he was felled by a baseball to his chest. The boy now has a medical condition called commotio cordis, which is caused by blunt trauma to the chest between heart beats. The blow knocked the boys heart rhythm out of sync, causing his heart to stop. Bystanders ran onto the field and performed CPR on Caleb until paramedics arrived and used electric shock paddles to revive the boys heart. He was taken by ambulance to Logan Memorial Hospital in Russellville, where he was stabilized, then taken by helicopter to Vanderbilt University Childrens Hospital in Nashville. Caleb was listed in critical but stable condition Friday at Vanderbilt, hospital spokesman John Houser said. He has not regained consciousness yet, Slaton said. Theyve still got a ventilator on him. His liver and kidneys are still functioning properly. But because of a lack of oxygen to his brain caused by his heart stopping, Calebs brain is swelling and it may be days before doctors are able to assess if the child has brain damage and to what extent, he said. Now Calebs father and mother, Angel Slaton, must wait. The couple spends their nights in the family waiting room of the childrens critical care unit at the hospital. They are allowed to see their son anytime during the day, with the exception of 21/2 hours in the morning and 11/2 hours in the evening or when procedures are being done in the room. We talk to him and hold his hand. Weve been watching the Disney Channel … . That way he can hear things that are familiar to him. When he wakes up I dont want him to be disoriented, Slaton said. Calebs brother, Jacob, 10, and his sister, Alexandre, 5, saw their injured brother Thursday for the first time since the accident. They were excited, said the childrens aunt Dawn Slaton, who is looking after Jacob and Alexandre until their parents are able to return home. I think they felt better after seeing him. Calebs paternal grandmother and uncle spend their nights at the Ronald McDonald House near Vanderbilt. Caleb is allowed to have only two visitors at a time. So his family members take turns going in to see him. Were in a wait-and-see (situation), Stanley Slaton said. While they wait, they pray. Prayers thats the only thing the family wants from anyone right now, Dawn Slaton said.