Wyatt’s Story
On the evening of July 14, 2016, 6-year old Wyatt Garab started complaining of a really bad headache. Within the hour, he began to vomit and became lethargic. His whole left side stopped working. The ambulance came and rushed him to Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, NC. They immediately performed a CT scan, and the results showed that he had a bleed in his brain. He was then put into a medically induced coma and was life-flighted to James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, NC. Once he arrived, endovascular neurosurgeon Dr. Kanaan inserted an EVD drain to relieve the pressure in his brain. Additional CT scans showed that Wyatt had a ruptured ACA (anterior cerebral artery) aneurysm. He also had a blood clot in his brain. He was immediately taken into surgery early morning of July 15, 2016. The first surgery was performed by neurosurgeon Dr. Kanaan. During this surgery, Dr. Kanaan performed endovascular coiling to seal the opening of the aneurysm. The surgery was successful, and Wyatt was then taken into a second surgery. During the second surgery, pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Smith performed a craniotomy to remove the blood clot and part of his skull to allow the brain to swell. Wyatt survived both surgeries, totaling a little over 8 hours in the operating room. The next 3-4 days were critical in Wyatt’s recovery. He was placed in PICU on life support. Doctors and nurses prepared us for the worst. We were told that there was no guarantee that he would live, and if he did, there was possibility of significant brain damage. Miraculously, Wyatt survived and was taken off the ventilator after 10 days. After 15 days in the PICU, Wyatt was stable enough to be moved to the pediatric floor. He spent 7 days on the pediatric floor, then was discharged to in-patient pediatric rehab. He spent 26 days in rehab, learning how to walk, talk, eat, and swallow all over again. On August 31, 2016, 49 days later, Wyatt was discharged to go home! Four months later, the week of Thanksgiving 2016, Wyatt was taken back into surgery to have his skull piece put back on. He spent three days in the hospital and was discharged to go home the day before Thanksgiving. Wyatt’s recovery has been nothing short of a miracle. We have been told by his doctors and nurses that he is one in a billion, and that he has made one of the most miraculous recoveries they have ever seen. With just a brace on his left leg and a barely noticeable scar on his head, Wyatt shows little evidence of his battle. He was chosen as the 2017 Poster Child for Children’s Miracle Network across Eastern North Carolina. Thank you, God, for our miracle boy, and thank you, James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network for saving our son’s life.
