Boy Comes Back to Life Before Organ Donation
Thirteen-year-old Trenton McKinley was dead after a dune buggy accident, but after his parents made the difficult decision to donate his organs, he miraculously came back to life.
CNN reports that the Alabama teen was riding in a small utility trailer being pulled by a dune buggy for kids. Trenton recalls the story now, saying his friend pushed on the brakes suddenly, which caused the trailer to flip right onto Trenton's head.
"I hit the concrete and the trailer landed on top of my head. After that, I don't remember anything," said Trenton.
He was rushed to a hospital where he was treated for seven skull fractures.
"All I saw was a stretcher with his feet hanging out. He was dead a total of 15 minutes," said his mother, Jennifer Reindl. "When he came back, they said he would never be normal again. They told me the oxidation problems would be so bad to his brain, that he would be a vegetable if he even made it."
Trenton was declared brain dead and his parents believed the best thing to do was sign the papers to donate his organs.
"Five kids needed organs that matched him," said Reindl. "It was unfair to keep bringing him back, because it was just damaging his organs even more."
But, the day before doctors were going to pull the plus, Trenton began showing signs of cognition.
Now, he's on the road to recovery - which won't be easy, as he lost 50 pounds and has nerve pain and seizures daily. He only has half of his skull, and must have surgery to reconnect a missing piece that's frozen at the hospital.
Still, Trenton keeps his head up, and his sense of humor fully in tact.
"I said I could turn sideways and put salsa in there and eat chips and dip out of my head. No more washing dishes for me!" laughed Trenton as he referred to the dent in his head. "She wouldn't let me put nothing in it though. I really wanted to see if I could."
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