A young teenager regained consciousness after a severe accident and shared a heartfelt message with his mother who had stayed by his side for several weeks.
13-year-old Dakota ‘Cody’ Trenkle Jr. had been missing for more than three days, causing great concern among his family and the community.
He was last spotted skateboarding in Goose Creek Lake before being discovered at the bottom of a ravine after disappearing on Sunday, July 27.
His brother found his skateboard half a mile from their home, which helped authorities locate Dakota with the assistance of bloodhounds. He was found lying in a foot of water, having gone three days without sustenance.
Dakota was then airlifted to a hospital in St. Louis, where he was placed in a medically induced coma due to severe injuries.
His injuries included a brain bleed, severe head trauma, a skull fracture, weakened kidneys, and he required a ventilator for breathing.
In addition, he suffered from pneumonia and other infections due to his extended time outdoors.
During the two-week period, Dakota’s mother, Stephanie Neely, remained hopeful by his side, and he began to regain consciousness on Friday, August 8.
The next day, Dakota was able to convey a touching and emotional message to his mother in American Sign Language.
He signed ‘I love you’ to her, and Stephanie shared with People how significant this gesture was.
She stated: “That moment was pivotal to me. It’s made the last couple weeks of stress, heartache, hope, gratitude, sadness, and pain worth it because that small gesture meant my boy was coming back to me.”
A Facebook page dedicated to Dakota’s recovery documented his progress over the days.
By Sunday, August 10, Dakota was off the ventilator, and a post stated: “He is doing so well!!”
“We still have a long recovery road ahead, but this is huge progress!!!!!!”
Stephanie discussed the challenging recovery process that lies ahead for her son.
She explained: “He can’t walk due to injuries and also loss of muscle mass during his time in the coma.
“He is struggling to talk for long periods of time out of pure exhaustion, the pneumonia, and his other infections he is fighting.
“His brain injuries are still very prominent, and are being monitored very closely.
“We are very grateful for his progress and pleased we are finally moving in the right direction.”