Saving Our Son: A Drowning Survivor's Fight Against the Medical Establishment

The Drowning Incident and Initial Hospitalization

• 💔 On February 28th, 2018, Will Boytim's son Robert drowned in a pond on their property and was found by his daughter.
• ⏳ After 45 minutes of CPR, a heartbeat was restored, but Robert was without a heartbeat or breathing for approximately an hour during transport to the hospital.
• 🏥 Upon arrival at the hospital, Robert was immediately staged for organ harvesting, with no interventions to protect his brain and doctors repeatedly suggesting the parents let him pass.

Challenging the Medical Establishment

• ⚠️ When the parents refused to consent to organ donation, the hospital's approach shifted, but they offered limited options, primarily drugs to control neurological storming.
• 🚫 The hospital refused the parents' requests for hyperbaric intervention, a treatment Will knew could help based on case studies of drowned children.
• 🏥 After 37 days, the family transported Robert to a hyperbaric clinic in New Orleans, staffed by Dr. Paul Harch.

Hyperbaric Therapy and Recovery

• ✨ Within two days of starting hyperbaric therapy (using room air under pressure), Robert's severe back spasm straightened.
• 💬 Three days later, he began responding, and by the end of the week, he was laughing on a FaceTime call, though still with a profound brain injury.
• 🚀 After 40 dives over two months, Robert returned home responsive and awake, and seven years later, he is walking, talking, and running, with residual visual and fine motor challenges.

The Broader Implications of Hyperbaric Therapy

• 🧠 Hyperbaric therapy, which drives oxygen into the plasma and promotes blood vessel regeneration, can help heal the brain and has potential applications for stroke and heart attack victims.
• 💰 The speaker suggests that hyperbaric therapy might be suppressed because it is an old, non-patentable therapy from which no one can profit.
• 🏥 Hospitals are approved to use hyperbaric therapy for specific diagnoses like crush injuries and diabetic leg wounds, but are reluctant to use it off-label for brain injuries, despite readily using off-label drugs.

Advocacy and Resources

• 🌐 Will created the website drownedbaby.org to consolidate information and protocols for parents of drowned children, based on their experiences and the success of Robert's case.
• 🌍 Their efforts have helped families in the Czech Republic and Morocco, leading to positive outcomes and changes in how drowning is treated in those regions.
• 💡 Key advice for parents in similar situations includes never giving up and never leaving your child alone in the hospital.