Family of the Madison School Shooting Survivor Credit's doctors, believe in the amazing recovery of the son

Madison, Wisconsin (WMTV)-the family of a 14-year training survivor thanks God every day he lives, almost three months after a student opened a fire at the numerous Christian school of life.

This shootout left a classmate and teacher dead and six other students, two critically injured.

One of these critically injured students was the Freshman River Clardy. His mother, Christina Clardy, is a teacher at school in the first year.

“Only protecting my children in my class was the first thing I thought about,” recalls Clardy on this December day. Officers pointed their class across the parking lot to the church, where they helped organize the students in the church benches. As soon as they were organized, she looked around for her three children, the Alcs, two newbies and seniors visit.

“I saw my two daughters pretty quickly and they asked me where their brother was. I hadn't seen him, but I knew that they had also triggered the school, ”she recalls with an amazing feeling of calm,“ it became quite clear that some people were still missing … and one of my teaching teams informed the police that my son was one of these people. “

Police officers later confirmed that the river had been taken to the family's American children's hospital, and they drove them and their two daughters to the hospital with a witness lawyer for victims to a patrol car. During the trip, she called her husband Bretty Clardy, who, according to the knowledge, held back from the shootings from Chicago.

“I knew nothing more than he was in the hospital, that's all I knew,” Brett recalls from this long journey home, “I was not sure of his state, his state, his level of injuries. I just drove. “

Brett and Christina arrived separately in the hospital. Brett was in a room when police officers, social workers and doctors came in. “I say quickly, okay before my family comes in, you just tell me. Is my son alive? “

“When River came through the doors of the emergency room, he was not awake,” explains Dr. Adam Brinkman, medical director of pediatric trauma care in the American Family Children's Hospital from UW Health. “He had a breath hose in. The paramedics and Emts breathed for him. He had no shirt on and over his chest in black Magic marker was his first name. “

“The river lost a lot of blood due to injuries to his neck, on his neck, on his hip by his hand,” explains Dr. Brinkman. “His skin color was very pale. His heart rate was very high. The blood pressure was very low. All clinical signs that he was very close to dying. “

The river was shot several times. He had three injuries to his neck, including a ball that hit his carotid artery, and another that went through the back of his neck. The doctors immediately stormed him into the operation.

“River is probably one of the most critical patients who have come to this children's hospital in the past five or six years,” says Dr. Brinkman.

“” Vitals were stable “was everything we were at the time when he was in the operation, explains Brett.

Christina adds: “I prayed all the time.”

You were able to see River for the first time late this first night.

“I didn't take a single picture until he …” says Brett and gives it in thought. “I didn't want to remember some of these things. I think it was difficult to see him so hurt where he couldn't really move or talk. “

“In many ways, he didn't look as he did,” adds Christina, “very swollen and you know, obviously many bandages and things. That was probably the most difficult for me. “

The river needed five operations in the first few days and was in the intensive care unit on a breath pipe for almost two weeks.

“It would probably be more than a week before I actually convinced myself that he will probably go through,” says Brett.

“When he was small, we pressed three times to love you.” Both share both of us at the same time: “He did it to us! And that's one of the days, it was towards the end of the first week, he reacted. And we knew, okay, he's in there. “

“The Picu team was incredible,” says Brett, “the doctors, they let us be part of the round in the morning so that we could take the entire plan.”

Christina adds how her eyes well with tears: “As a mother, they were just … Incredibly loving to him, even though he was sedated. And do you know how much would he actually remember? They were very loving to him. “

“When his injuries had decided and he no longer needed operations, it was time to wake up and see who was a river,” explains Dr. Brinkman, “I stopped in the door and he turned to me. And I said, “River!” And River said: “Good morning!” Listen his voice and saw his eyes and realizes everything he had just done, and a week later he tells me a good morning. There was no better feeling. It was incredible. “

In the next month, River had to learn a new things, including how to go and go for a walk.

“He had to learn how to keep a pen, how to swallow liquid and food. How to brush your teeth, brush your hair, connect your shoes, ”explains Dr. Brinkman, “All of his nurses and technicians as well as physical and professional therapists and speech therapists and case managers and social workers and doctors as well as residents and students.

“River is a child who is a persistence. He is a hard worker, ”says Christina about what she writes with his quick recovery. But he is, he did better than he should have done. “

He went home with the sending of a hero for a forty -six days after the inclusion of river to the hospital. The hospital staff started the hallyway to cheer it when he went out.

“He went along this hallway and every single person somehow contributed to his care. Each one of them, ”explains Brett. In fact, Dr. Brinkman 263 UW employees who helped River during his recovery.

“I think it was so encouraging and they know that I never saw him cry when he was there until he said goodbye to some of his doctors,” added Brett.

Dr. Brinkman said: “I saw him when he came in. I never thought I would see him going home. So watching how he went for a walk with his family with his family was … the second best feeling for me. He said good morning was the first. “

Now the family appreciates their time even more and focuses on their blessing.

“I think it's very easy to find all the ugly things that happened in these weeks. And they were painful and ugly, they were hard. But there are so many beautiful things if you are just looking for them, ”says Brett.

Christine adds: “It is important to thank our lives for the good. And to realize that the good around us, like in the people in our community. If our circumstances are not good, these things are things that are good … I have moments when I like, I can't believe that he lives, do you know? I am only very grateful. “

The Madison police authority said the case was still working every day by her team for violent crimes.

Detectives are still trying to determine a motif and whether fees are submitted.

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