Surfing icon Bethany Hamilton has asked for a medical miracle for her 'precious' nephew, who is fighting for his life after drowning in Hawaii.
Bethany's three-year-old nephew, Andrew, was found not breathing in a bathtub. He was taken to Kapiolani, Oahu, on Saturday morning.
According to his worried family, the boy still has a heartbeat – but is currently in ICU.
Bethany, who is a 34-year-old shark attack survivor, said: 'We are devastated. But I know how proper medical support can make or break someone's chances of survival.
“In this case, we are asking for help from anyone who has information about what we can do to give my nephew the best chance.”
Bethany's brother Noah, who is not Andrew's father, also asked people for prayers – calling his nephew a 'strong, resilient boy' and an 'incredible swimmer'.
Surfing icon Bethany Hamilton posted on Saturday that she needed a medical miracle for her nephew who drowned in Hawaii
Her brother, Noah Hamilton, said his nephew Andrew was found not breathing in the shallow water of a bathtub.
Their hopes were met when they were able to contact Dr. Paul Harch – a world-renowned expert in hyperbaric oxygen therapy for child drownings.
He wrote: 'Join us in praying for my brother's fifth youngest son, Andrew, as he flew to Oahu in the middle of the night.
— He's three and a half and almost five. He is a strong, resilient boy and an incredible swimmer. He was found not breathing in the shallow water of the bathtub. His vital signs were enough to take him to Oahu.
The family was able to contact Dr. Paul Harch – a world-renowned expert in hyperbaric oxygen therapy for child drownings.
It was her son who notified Bethany at her post: 'Dr. Harch is my father. I just texted you his cell phone number. He wants you to call him. Sending lots of love to you and your family.
HBOT involves a patient breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. The goal is to increase the level of oxygen that dissolves in the bloodstream – which could help heal brain tissue.
In an extraordinary case, Harch was able to reverse 2-year-old Eden Carlson's brain damage — after she forced her way through the baby gate and a heavy door and jumped into the family's Arkansas pool in February 2017.
When her mother found her, she was lying face down and motionless.
After two hours of CPR and 17 EpiPen injections, her heart began beating again, but doctors warned that she would be confined in a vegetative state for the rest of her life.
Andrew (pictured bottom row, center, surrounded by his family) was taken to Kapiolani, Oahu, on Saturday morning and still has a heartbeat, according to Bethany
In the photo: little Andrew and his family, who beg for prayers after the tragedy
Pictured: Dr. Paul Harch. In one extraordinary case, Harch was able to reverse 2-year-old Eden Carlson's brain damage — after she forced her way through the baby gate and a heavy door and jumped into the family's Arkansas pool in February 2017.
Now, in what is considered a world first, Eden is running, talking and laughing as energetically as ever – after undergoing 40 rounds of oxygen therapy.
The results were so clear and Eden's MRI scans improved so clearly that her case was published in a medical journal, Medical Gas Research.
The therapy is not FDA approved and is not covered by insurance.
Betânia is best known for a shark attack at age 13 that almost derailed her career.
In 2003, while she was surfing off the coast of Kauai with a friend's family, a 14-foot tiger shark bit her left arm just below the shoulder.
The others managed to swim her back to shore and applied a tourniquet, but she had already lost 60% of her blood by the time she arrived at the hospital.
A tiger shark that was captured and killed shortly after the attack had pieces of a surfboard stuck in its jaws, and was later determined to be the attacking shark.
Despite the devastating injury, Bethany took less than a month to recover before returning to surfing and taking part in her first professional competition after the attack in 2004.
Bethany is best known for a shark attack at age 13 that almost derailed her career
In the most recent update, Bethany (pictured) wrote that she was looking for a hyperbaric chamber doctor in Queens or Kuakini on Oahu and if anyone knew any information, to get in touch
Social media users sent warm wishes to the family.
One wrote: 'Miracles are real! Our 13-year-old daughter suffered a drowning accident during a breath-holding competition with her friends. She passed out and was underwater for at least 10 minutes before being discovered.
'Prayers, CPR and significant medical intervention brought her back to us. We were blessed that she made an almost full recovery. Praying for your family.
Another wrote: 'He has a heartbeat. Hallelujah, claiming air for your lungs and your brain lobes remain untouched.
In yesterday's most recent update, Bethany wrote that they were looking for a hyperbaric chamber doctor in Queens or Kuakini on Oahu and if anyone knew any information, to get in touch.
