Yamhill boy awakens after 22 months in coma

YAMHILL, Ore. (AP) - During the 22 months when her young son lay in a Gresham nursing home, trapped in an unexplainable coma, Yamhill resident Carla Rivers turned down offers from prospective buyers of the small, hot-pink motorcycle that he had loved.

"We knew he'd want to ride it again," Rivers said.

And, after two years of visits to his sick bed and prayers from their church and cards from the school friends Devon Rivers left behind when he was sickened with his mysterious illness, the 11-year-old awoke.

Until Oct. 7, 2004, Devon Rivers was an active, happy child, who loved Scouts and sports, school and church, riding his bike and playing with his baby brother, Brakken. He was the kid of kid that when he ran out of things to put together, he took things apart so he could put them together again.

All that changed the day his mother and father rushed him to the emergency room, where doctors made an initial diagnosis of rheumatic fever and prescribed antibiotics.

Five days later, Devon's condition worsened and he started having trouble breathing on his own. On Oct. 17, he lapsed into the coma.

Medics sent samples of Devon's spinal fluid to labs across the country, trying to figure out what was causing his illness. But every test - from West Nile virus to lead poisoning - came back negative.

Doctors guessed he had a viral illness. But they never were able to pinpoint what it was or what had caused it.

Eventually, he was moved to a pediatric nursing care center, where he received daily physical therapy that kept his muscles from atrophying and his joints from locking up.

Yet every time doctors checked on him, they had the same prognosis: Devon was in a persistent vegetative state, and it was doubtful that he would ever recover.

For two years, friends and family members shuttled back and forth between Yamhill and the nursing home, bearing stuff animals and posters, blessings and prayers.

Carla Rivers visited her son at least twice a week, carrying on a one-sided conversation on the assumption that coma victims retain their hearing.

One Friday in late August, she told Devon the family was heading for Utah for a wedding.

As she spoke, she remembered, it seemed as though her son was actually looking at her, and that his breathing seemed different, as if he weren't relying so much on the tracheal tube.

A few days later, the Rivers family got the news: Devon was indeed breathing on his own, a very positive sign.

In the weeks since then, Devon has made a great deal of progress, so much that his parents are hoping he'll soon be able to relearn skills like using a spoon and brushing his teeth.

His parents say it all seems like a "walk on water" miracle.

"We want to know what's going on with him, when he can come home, what more we can expect," Rivers said.

Information from: News-Register

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)