Polish toddler found in freezing cold recovering
WARSAW, Poland – A Polish toddler found unconscious in sub-freezing temperatures hugged a teddy bear and called for his parents after only four days of treatment, his mother said Thursday, while his doctor described the boy’s recovery as “a miracle.”
Adam – aged 2 years and 4 months – spent an unknown number of hours outdoors in southern Poland after going missing from his grandmother’s house in Raclawice, near Krakow, spokeswoman Magdalena Oberc of the University Children’s Hospital in Krakow said Thursday. Authorities said he was discovered face down in leaves wearing only socks and a pajama top as temperatures hit minus 19 degrees Fahrenheit.
His body temperature was only 55 F and his heart was beating extremely slowly when hospital treatment began early Sunday. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a child’s normal temperature ranges from 96 to 99 degrees F.
Dr. Janusz Skalski, a heart surgeon at the children’s hospital, said Adam’s quick recovery surprised everyone but he will still need rehabilitation therapy to help restore his full physical and mental abilities.
A tear going down her cheek, Adam’s mother Paulina told TVN24 he said “Mama! Tata!” (mom, dad) and hugged a teddy bear they had brought him from home.
“Everything is OK now. All we want is to have him back with us and hugging us as tight as he can,” she said.
The boy’s father Mateusz said when Adam opened his eyes and looked at him “it was like he was born again.”
Nurse Wioletta Dyrcz told TVN24 that Adam had said “yes” when asked if he wanted breakfast and had cottage cheese with tea.
“He breathes on his own, moves his head, follows us with his eyes and smiles,” Dyrcz said. “He’s playing with cars and watching children’s videos.”
The boy’s father said his son may have been sleepwalking when he left the house. Polish media say the grandmother remains hospitalized in a state of shock.