A 13-year-old has recently been left paralyzed after he attempted to flee from a wasp.
Semyon Williams, Jr., also known as SJ by his loved ones, was out swimming with a friend at a community pool in Old Orchard Park in Frisco, Texas, when they saw a wasp flying about near them.
In order to avoid being stung, the pair jumped back into the pool, though SJ dove in head-first into the shallow end, resulting in a major injury that left him floating face-down in the water.
His friend wondered if the teen was just joking about with him when he didn't move but after he turned him over, he knew something was wrong.
SJ's mother Anya Camper recalled what her son's friend told her.
"He turns him over, and that's when he's asking him, 'Are you playing?' and SJ's like, he can speak, but he's like, 'I can't feel anything.' You know, he's freaking out. He's like, 'Help me! I can't feel - I can't feel my arms, my legs. Help me, call my mom,'" he allegedly said to his friend at the time.
According to the Daily Mail, the youngster was rushed to Children's Health Hospital in Dallas where it was determined that he suffered a serious spinal cord injury.
SJ was forced to undergo surgery to try and correct the injury, but it was too late.
Speaking to NBC5 News, Louis Camper, SJ's grandfather said: "I suppose there was a panic, you know, a frantic measure to get out of harm's way. SJ just jumped into the pool, but apparently, he dove in unbeknownst to perhaps the depth of the pool."
He continued: "He just recalls hitting his head and he even indicated that it felt as if his arms were not part of his body because of the fact that he couldn't feel."
He also stated that he was grateful for SJ's friend, who ended up saving his grandson's life due to the fact that he couldn't move and was inhaling water.
"By the grace of God, that is his friend happened to be there and jumped in," he recalled.
"You hear about things like this, you see things like this, you never expect it to be your story until it is. When it comes to your front door it shakes you, that's exactly what it’s done for us," said Anya, who also noted that when she got the call, all she could do was scream.
Bruno Braga, MD, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Children’s Health and an associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas told the outlet that his colleagues performed surgery on the 13-year-old in order to stabilize his bones so there is no further injury.
"He fractured two vertebrae, the 4th and the 5th cervical vertebrae, and he fractured parts that are in front and behind the spinal cord, spinal canal which contains the spinal cord," explained Braga.
"The fact that he had no motor function or sensory function below the level of injury, that's not a good indication that he's going to recover much, but it's too soon to tell and we just have to wait and see," he added.
Right now all the family can do is hope and pray that their little one manages to walk after such a severe injury, but they said they're holding out for a miracle.
”The reality is, this is a long road. This is going to be a marathon for us and we have to support him and be with him every step of the way," Anya told the outlet. "It hits at the core.
“As a mom, it's just really heartbreaking; I’m literally helpless. As a mom you’re supposed to fix things, and I can’t fix it. So I’m just praying for help in any kind of way," the heartbroken mother added.
Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time and we wish SJ well in his recovery.
