Latest news with #StephanieNeely
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Teen Spent 11 Days in Coma. When He Woke Up, He Used Sign Language to Tell His Mom an Important Message (Exclusive)
'We are very grateful for his progress and pleased we are finally moving in the right direction,' Stephanie Neely tells PEOPLE of her son's condition since surviving three days without food or water NEED TO KNOW Dakota 'Cody' Trenkle Jr., 13, was missing for three days until he was found at the bottom of a ravine on Wednesday, July 30 He was then airlifted to a St. Louis hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma On Wednesday, Aug. 13, his mother, Stephanie Neely, tells PEOPLE that despite Dakota still being at the start of the recovery process, his family is "very grateful for his progress" Dakota "Cody" Trenkle Jr., the 13-year-old boy who was missing for over three days before he was found at the bottom of a ravine, has woken up from an 11-day medically induced coma, his mother, Stephanie Neely, tells PEOPLE. "[It took] 11 long days after being missing for 80 hours' for her 'to have hope that Cody was going to be okay," Neely says. Dakota went missing on Sunday, July 27, after he was last seen skateboarding in Goose Creek Lake, Mo. The young teen went more than three days without food or water. On Wednesday, July 30, his brother discovered Dakota's skateboard a half a mile from their home. Later that day, the Farmington Correctional Center (FCC) K-9 unit deployed their bloodhound named Darrell, who found Dakota lying in a foot of water. Dakota was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital, where he was placed in a medically induced coma with a brain bleed, his mom previously told PEOPLE. He suffered deep wounds to his body, as well as severe head trauma, several brain bleeds, an additional fracture on his skull, weakened kidneys and needed a ventilator to breathe. After nearly two weeks of Stephanie waiting by his bedside, Dakota was alert and there were signs of him waking up on Friday, Aug. 8, per the Facebook group dedicated to providing updates, titled "Dakota Strong." By Saturday, Aug. 9, Stephanie tells PEOPLE that he was alert enough to share his affection by signing the American Sign Language gesture for 'I love you.' '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,' she says. He was off the ventilator by Sunday, Aug. 10. 'He is doing so well!!' a post on the Facebook page read. 'We still have a long recovery road ahead, but this is huge progress!!!!!!' On Monday, Aug. 11, Dakota enjoyed his first meal: a burger and a Coke. 'When Cody was being weened off sedation, off the ventilator, and became more alert, he looked at me and said 'Mama, I'm thirsty, I need a 16 ounce coke from McDonald's!' ' Neely says. 'The next day, I had ordered him a Whopper from Burger King in hopes to get him to eat." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. After Cody woke up, he 'was still on sedation for a few days to help ease him out of the coma,' Neely explains to PEOPLE. She notes as of Wednesday, Aug. 13, he is no longer on sedation, so the 'last 24 hours have been very difficult for him pain-wise.' 'He can't walk due to injuries and also loss of muscle mass during his time in the coma,' she says. 'He is struggling to talk for long periods of time out of pure exhaustion, the pneumonia, and his other infections he is fighting.' Neely previously told NBC affiliate KSDK that the water caused him to contract "a lot of infectious bacteria," which led him to develop pneumonia. Additionally, because he fell into the 240-foot deep ravine, he also suffered severe wounds on his back because he was submerged for so long. 'His brain injuries are still very prominent, and are being monitored very closely,' Neely tells PEOPLE. She notes that he will be transferred to a pediatric hospital inpatient unit that specializes in physical, occupational, and psychological therapies. 'We are very grateful for his progress and pleased we are finally moving in the right direction,' she adds. "I've known he was a fighter since he was born," Neely told KSDK. "He was born super preemie, and he fought for his life then, and now, almost 14 years later, he's doing it again." "Just proving to all of us just truly how strong he is, how resilient, and how stubborn he is, which is honestly what saved his life," Neely told KSDK. "He wasn't going to give up. And he's like, 'I'm not just gonna lay here and die.' For him to finally come out of it two weeks after he went missing is huge. He's still proving to everyone, 'I'm fighting, I'm still here, I can survive.' " Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
13-year-old boy still in coma six days after rescue
ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. – A young boy rescued in St. Francois County after days without food or water remains in a coma. But new details show his 11-year-old brother is the one who helped make a major breakthrough in the rescue. Cody Trenkle, 13, was found last Wednesday in a ravine in St. Francois County after he had been missing for three days. His mom, Stephanie Neely, has not left his side in the hospital ever since. 'I'm grateful and hopeful, terrified still, because he's still in critical condition,' she said. It was early Sunday on July 27 when Cody hopped on his skateboard and headed toward a friend's house. Then, he disappeared. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Since that day, that evening, I never stopped looking for him,' Neely said. An entire community around Goose Creek Lake joined in the search through thick woods and rugged terrain. Wednesday, Cody's 11-year-old brother, Stephen, made a life-saving discovery. 'He spotted the skateboard lying on the side of the road and immediately slapped the hood of the truck and said, 'Grandma! Grandma! I found the skateboard!'' Neely said. That put Farmington Correctional Center K9 Darrell on the right track. The rescue team found Cody approximately 500 yards away and 240 feet down a ravine, in a foot of water. 'He didn't know his name. He didn't know where he was,' Neely said. Cody was airlifted to a St. Louis area hospital. He'd been exposed to the elements for nearly 80 hours, suffered brain bleeding, severe head trauma, pneumonia, and other infections from being in the water for so long. Exorcist-inspired site now looks like a villain's clubhouse 'Some things will get better some days and then we'll take three steps backward with another thing,' Neely said. The St. Francois County sheriff does not suspect foul play but hopes Cody will wake up and shed some light on what happened. 'I have not left his side since he's been in the hospital, and I refuse to. Not until he's awake,' Neely said. Cody has been in intensive care since his rescue and there is no timeframe for when he might be able to leave the hospital. A family member has set up a GoFundMe page for people who want to help support Cody's recovery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
13-year-old boy wakes up from coma
ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. – Cody Trenkle, a 13-year-old boy rescued in a ravine after days without food or water, has awakened from his coma. Trenkle's mother, Stephanie Neely, who has not left his side since his recovery, shared the news with FOX 2. According to Neely, Cody is awake and is making slow progress in the right direction. Cody—who was rescued on July 30 following his disappearance while he was heading to a friend's house on his skateboard—suffered brain bleeding, severe head trauma, pneumonia, a leg injury and other infections from being in the water for a long period. FOX 2 previously reported that there's no specific time frame for when Cody will be able to leave the hospital, but since then, a GoFundMe page was created to support the 13-year-old's recovery. The GoFundMe can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
