A father has shared an update on his 14-year-old son’s health following a tragic accident at Mount Whitney last month.
On June 10, Zane Wach was hiking with his dad in the Sierra Nevada mountains when he suffered from altitude sickness. This condition can cause dizziness, fatigue, and severe headaches.
The young boy began to experience hallucinations, claiming to see ‘snowmen and Kermit the Frog.’ He then walked towards a slope’s edge and fell approximately 120 feet.
After being airlifted to Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas, Zane’s injuries, which included severe head trauma and fractures in his ankle, finger, and pelvis, required him to be placed in a coma.
His family recently announced that he has been taken off his ventilator, describing this as a ‘giant milestone.’ The medical team is now working to reduce Zane’s reliance on sedatives.
Zane’s father, Ryan Wach, posted an update on Facebook, which was shared by Zane’s grandmother Lisa Hinrichsen-Wach: “[This] opens the door to many new steps forward. He’s not doing much else at the moment, the largest focus is watching closely so that he does well breathing on his own … and being able to cough and swallow.”
“He’s been on a lot of heavy drugs. Getting off those is extremely hard and painful. As parents it’s terrible to watch,” Ryan further explained.
In a conversation with SFGATE, Ryan recounted the purpose of their hike and how his son’s behavior changed as they climbed the mountain.
“He’s in better shape than I am,” Ryan noted. “The idea was that this would be kind of like his introduction to mountaineering.
“He started to experience some hallucinations. He knew he was hallucinating. He said he saw things like snowmen and Kermit the Frog.”
Ryan continued: “My best guess is a combination of exhaustion, sleep deprivation, probably some dehydration, and lasting effects from the altitude sickness. But he essentially started to doubt reality. It was completely bizarre.”
“He told me he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or not, and he would shake his head in disbelief, like, ‘This is not real.’ Like he was in the movie Inception or something.”
During the incident, Zane and his father were only a few miles from their parked car.
Ryan explained that he had briefly turned away to wipe his eyes when Zane approached the edge, and by the time he could react, it was too late.
In the wake of this devastating event, journalist Austin Dave from Key News Network posted an Instagram video featuring supportive messages from Zane’s swim team friends at Hart High School.
“Zane, we are thinking of you. We are rooting for you. We know you will get through this,” said Linda Ortega, Hart Swim parent board president.
“We are here to support you. Your teammates are here, whether it be the Hart Swim team or the 002 Sharks. We will be waiting for you. We know you will come back stronger than ever.”
Zane serves as a junior coach for the swim team.