Bystanders console Cody O’Connor’s mother, Amanda, during the August 28 motorhome fire in Oliver.
Lyonel Doherty photo
The eight-year-old boy who was badly burned in a motorhome fire in Oliver on August 28 continues to fight for survival.
Cody O’Connor’s condition in a Vancouver hospital has been like a seesaw, according to his grandmother, Pearl Deprez.
She told the Chronicle on Friday (September 6) that Cody had been improving, but suffered complications a few days ago when he stopped breathing. He was revived and placed on life support and subsequently hooked up to a dialysis machine.
Deprez said Cody has undergone several surgeries, including one on his badly burned arm, and another on his lungs (to remove pieces of glass). Deprez said it is not known how glass became lodged in his lungs.
She pointed out that it doesn’t appear that Cody’s face will be disfigured, but she noted that his neck and ears were burned.
Deprez said the boy has opened his eyes in the hospital.
As of Friday, it appeared his condition was improving, she stated, with the hope he will no longer need life support.
Deprez said they still haven’t determined how the fire started at the front of the motorhome. She reported that Cody was in the RV watching TV prior to the incident. She doesn’t know why Cody wasn’t able to escape the fire, but he may have panicked.
Oliver Fire Chief Dan Skaros pulled Cody out of the motorhome’s back window, where he was apparently lying unconscious on a bed.
