Little Leaguer Easton Oliverson Likely to Make 'Full Recovery' After 2 Head Injuries, Doc Says
One of the doctors treating a Little League World Series player who fell off his bunk bed earlier this month has high hopes the boy will make a "full recovery."
The 12-year-old baseball player, Easton Oliverson, fell from the top bunk, then again while recovering in the hospital, but doctors said his road to recovery has been promising.
Dr. Oded Goren told the TODAY show he is optimistic about Easton Oliverson's recovery, which has been "just fantastic." The neurosurgeon specializes in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania.
"It's impossible to really predict at such early stages, but the way he recovered and the way the initial scans looked after his surgery ... there are no signs of injuries to the brain itself from the initial trauma," Goren said to the outlet. "So taking the images, which look fantastic, and taking his clinical progression, that is doing so well, I'm hopeful to have full recovery."
RELATED: Mookie Betts Sends Video Message to Little Leaguer Who Suffered Severe Injuries in Bunk Bed Fall
Easton's mother Nancy Oliverson also spoke to TODAY, saying she was confident about his journey to recovery. "He's been moving mountains with his recovery," Nancy said to the NBC show. "We've gotten so many prayers on his behalf that I, without a shadow of doubt, I think he will. He's a warrior out here."
Jace Oliverson, Easton's father and one of his Little League coaches, told the Associated Press on Sunday night that his son was expected to fly back Tuesday to Utah, where he will remain in a hospital. "I'm just grateful that he's still alive because I was pretty much told he had a zero percent chance to live," Jace said. "We feel very fortunate."
On August 16, Easton Oliverson fell from the top of a bunk bed at the Williamsport, Pennsylvania dormitory where he and his Snow Canyon teammates were staying ahead of their first game in the Little League World Series.
"He just hit the ground super hard. Fractured his head. Fractured his cheekbone," Jace told Salt Lake City's KSL-TV after the accident. "Fell about 6 feet high. It was carpeted, but it's a pretty hard floor. But he just unfortunately just landed right."
Oliverson was airlifted to Geisinger Janet Weis Children's Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and has since been recovering.
RELATED: Little Leaguer Easton Oliverson's CT Scan is 'Normal' Following Second Fall: 'Yet Another Miracle'
Facebook Easton Oliverson
The family has since been posting updates on their @miraclesfortank Instagram page, a reference to Easton's nickname. On Aug. 21, they revealed that the boy had fallen and hit his head again.
"In most recoveries, you often hear the term 'two steps forward, one step back.' Last night, Easton got up to go to the bathroom by himself (he isn't supposed to do this). While doing so, he fell down," the family said on Instagram. "He told Nancy and the doctors that he fell on his butt, and then hit his head. They are going to perform another CT scan today to make sure that his fall didn't cause any swelling."
A post made later that day from the account shared that the results came back "normal." Said the family: "We feel so grateful and blessed to have witnessed yet another miracle in Easton's recovery!"
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Easton's accident has drawn the attention of fellow athletes across the country, many of them sending him encouragement on his road to recovery. Among those gestures of kindness came a signed jersey from the New York Yankees and a video of support from Dogers player Mookie Betts.
The boy also got a care package from his "favorite football team," BYU, local outlet KSL reported. Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell sent a signed jersey as well.
Easton's team, Snow Canyon, was the first team ever from Utah to make the Little League World Series, the AP reported.
His dad proudly told KSL-TV that his son, who goes by the nickname "Tank," had to "work really hard to be a good baseball player, so for him to make a team with these type of players it's a really cool story."
The team, who welcomed Easton's 10-year-old brother to take his place on the roster, was eliminated from the series Sunday after a 10-2 loss to the team from Iowa.