Nine-year-old Paul-Angelo Warren is back home in Calgary after surviving a near-drowning that left him trapped underwater for an estimated five to 10 minutes.
His family says medical testing has found no signs of brain damage.
Paul-Angelo was swimming in the Shuswap River at W.J. Tuey Regional Park in Enderby, B.C., on August 3 when the current pinned him against fallen driftwood.
He was later placed in a medically induced coma at BC Children's Hospital, where he remained for eight days before beginning a recovery his family says surprised his doctors.
He returned home to Calgary on September 1.
Our original coverage of the incident is here.
What Paul-Angelo remembers
The Warren family was visiting the beach for the first time when Paul-Angelo was pulled beneath the water.
He told the Morning Star he remembered being sucked into the water and calling for help. He began swallowing water while trying to escape and eventually lost consciousness.
He also said he could hear his mother and father telling him to wake up while he was in the coma.
The strangers who helped save him
Several off-duty health care professionals were reportedly at the beach when Paul-Angelo was pulled from the river.
They began resuscitation before emergency crews arrived. His mother, Maria Warren, said doctors later told her that whoever performed CPR had done an "amazing" job.
The family believes those first few minutes helped save both his life and his quality of life.
They still do not know the names of the people who treated him.
Maria hopes they will come forward so the family can thank them directly. The Morning Star, which interviewed the family about Paul-Angelo's recovery, has offered to connect them.
Why the CPR on the beach mattered
There is no single detail that can fully explain Paul-Angelo's recovery. His family credits the people who immediately began CPR, the emergency crews who responded, and the treatment he received at BC Children's Hospital.
What is clear is that the people on the beach did not wait.
They started working to restore his breathing and circulation before an ambulance could arrive. Doctors later emphasized the quality of that early resuscitation when speaking with his mother.
For the Warren family, that is why finding those strangers matters so much. They were not simply witnesses to what happened. They became part of the reason Paul-Angelo came home.
Eight days in a medically induced coma
Maria remained at her son's bedside throughout the coma and said she barely slept. Her husband, Matthew, slept in his truck so he could remain close to the hospital.
At times, Maria said, doctors returned every 15 minutes with an update or an explanation of what treatment would come next.
She left the room when Paul-Angelo's breathing tube was removed for an MRI, because she could not bring herself to watch.
According to Maria, doctors told the family they had not previously seen such a strong recovery from a drowning incident this serious. She said his case is now being studied to better understand what contributed to the outcome.
"I can say it's a miracle," she said.
He was in waist-deep water
One of the most unsettling details for his parents is that Paul-Angelo was not swimming in visibly deep water.
He is a strong swimmer and was only in water that reached approximately his waist when the current pulled him under.
That is the warning his parents want other families to remember. Water does not have to look deep or rough to become dangerous, particularly in a river where the current can push a swimmer into submerged logs, branches or other obstacles.
His parents said the emergency developed within seconds.
What the family wants changed
The Warrens are now calling for additional water-safety measures in British Columbia.
Maria wants hazard signs installed at Tuey Park beach and other swimming areas. She is also advocating for buoys that clearly mark designated swimming areas.
She pointed to the warning signs commonly found near rivers and lakes in Calgary, and said families visiting an unfamiliar beach should be given clear information about possible hazards.
The family's message is not that children should never enter the water. It is that a place that appears calm and shallow can still contain risks that are impossible to see from shore.
The cost of staying close
While Paul-Angelo was being treated in Vancouver, his family had to put much of its normal life in Calgary on hold.
Maria stopped working as a home-care aide and self-employed residential cleaner so she could remain beside her son. The family also faced the cost of travelling, eating and finding places to sleep while staying close to BC Children’s Hospital.
A fundraiser was created to help cover those expenses and the family’s lost income while Paul-Angelo recovered.
For the Warrens, bringing him home was the outcome that mattered most. The financial effects of the weeks spent away from Calgary will take longer to resolve.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Support-Warren-Family
Life back home in Calgary
Paul-Angelo is continuing to rest while his lungs recover.
He has not yet returned to soccer, rollerblading or biking, but he has been taking short walks with the family's new dog.
His mother says his happy-go-lucky and wacky personality has returned in full force.
She has also been taking more photographs than usual.
"I love having memories of my kids," Maria said.
After spending weeks beside her son in hospital, she has a broader message for families.
"If it's your kid or your parents, give them a little bit of time, call them," she said. "Because you never know."
The family is still looking for the CPR team
The Warrens are still trying to identify the off-duty health care professionals who performed CPR at Tuey Park on August 3.
If you were involved in the rescue, or know someone who was, the Morning Star has offered to help connect the rescuers with the family.
Sources
Vernon North Okanagan RCMP
Interview with Maria and Paul-Angelo Warren as reported by the Morning Star.
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