The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:50 PM
Mobile Alabama Boy Called Miracle After Waking Up From Seven Skull Fractures After Parents Sign Papers To Donate His Organs
13-year-old Trenton McKinley was playing at a friend's house two months ago, riding in a small utility trailer being pulled by a dune buggy for kids, according to CBS affiliate WREG.
According to McKinley, his friend suddenly pressed on the breaks, causing the trailer to flip. He said he quickly threw his friend's four-year-old niece off into the grass, but got caught in the trailer as it flipped.
"I hit the concrete and the trailer landed on top of my head. After that, I don't remember anything," McKinley said.
He was taken to the USA Medical Center for emergency surgery where family discovered he had seven skull fractures.
“All I saw was a stretcher with his feet hanging out. He was dead a total of 15 minutes,” said his mother, Jennifer Reindl, with tears in her eyes. “When he came back, they said he would never be normal again. They told me the oxidation problems would be so bad to his brain, that he would be a vegetable if he even made it.”
According to WREG, McKinley was brain dead and barely breathing for several days. His parents were faced with the difficult decision and eventually signed the papers to donate his organs.
"Five kids needed organs that matched him," said Reindl. "It was unfair to keep bringing him back, because it was just damaging his organs even more."
One day before the doctors were set to pull the plug, he started showing signs of cognition.
McKinley told news sources he believes he was in heaven while he was gone. "I was in an open field walking straight," McKinley said. "There's no other explanation but God. There's no other way. Even doctors said it."
According to WREG, McKinley is making strides in his health beyond what was expected, but not without a struggle. He lost 50 pounds and deals with nerve pain and seizures daily. He still has his sense of humor, however.
“I said I could turn sideways and put salsa in there and eat chips and dip out of my head. No more washing dishes for me!” laughed Trenton as he referred to the dent in his head. “She wouldn’t let me put nothing in it though. I really wanted to see if I could.”
He has been through three surgeries so far and faces a long road ahead with a lot of medical expenses. WREG reported that he currently only has half of his skull. The other half is frozen at the hospital, and he will have surgery soon to reconnect it.
