Prior Lake boy making strides in recovery after near-drowning
A 4-year-old boy from Prior Lake is making major progress at a St. Paul hospital after nearly drowning in a swimming pool, which caused extensive brain damage.
On March 30, Chase Lykken and his family boarded a Disney Fantasy cruise ship docked at Port Canaveral in Florida. Chase's mother, Lisa Lykken, went to grab sunscreen for the boy when he disappeared. Moments later, Chase was pulled from a deckside pool and rescuers began performing CPR.
Chase had been underwater for at least 5 minutes and stopped breathing, KARE 11 reports.
Chase's immediate prognosis wasn't looking good, but nearly three months later, Chase has made dramatic improvements.
KARE says the boy has gone from a vegetative state after the accident to smiling and pressing buttons during occupational therapy at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, where he'll continue in-patient treatment until the end of the month.
"He's a fighter. He's a stubborn little 4-year-old that wants his way and I think he's going to get his way. Yep, he's a fighter," Lykken told KARE.
The Lykken family is seeing a tremendous outpouring of support from the community. Signs hang from neighborhood mailboxes, doors and windows that read "We are praying for you Chase."
Chase will return home on June 28.
