Quebec boy breathing on his own, discharged from hospital after court-ordered extubation

A boy is being discharged from a Montreal hospital after nearly a year. He is finally able to breathe on his own after being extubated.

A six-year-old boy is well enough to go home after being hospitalized since last June.

On Monday morning, his family and friends gathered in front of the Sainte-Justine hospital to thank God for what they’re calling a miraculous recovery.

“It’s been 309 days of life for my son, over 7,000 hours of life for someone who some said wouldn’t even survive the night after the incident,” said the boy’s mother, who cannot be identified because of a publication ban. “It’s huge.”

In June 2022, a Quebec boy, who was five at the time, fell into a coma after nearly drowning in the family pool.

The boy was admitted to intensive care at Ste-Justine hospital. He was submerged in a pool for between 15 and 20 minutes. Evidence presented in court showed he suffered serious brain damage.

A few months later, the hospital took the boy’s parents to court when they were unable to agree on medical treatment.

The hospital wanted to remove the boy’s breathing tube so he could return home and receive physical therapy, but his parents wanted the option to reintubate him if needed.

Ultimately the hospital won the case, and on February 16 the boy’s breathing tube was removed.