I was alerted to a near drowning that occurred aboard the Disney Fantasy this afternoon prior the the scheduled sail away party. According to some first hand reports appearing on the disboards.com a young boy was given CPR on the pool deck before being transported by ambulance. The reports did not sound promising to Cape Canaveral Hospital.
Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.
The Fantasy was scheduled to embark on a 7-Night Western Caribbean cruise on the eve of her 1 year anniversary around 4:30 PM, but did not leave Port Canaveral until 5:50PM.
UPDATE 3/30/13 8:05 PM | The Orlando Sentinel is reporting this evening that the 4 year old boy had a pulse when he was transported by ambulance to Cape Canaveral Hospital. Later this evening he was flown to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.
UPDATE 3/31/13 8:08 AM | Shirley, from The Perfect Gift who delivers custom baskets to the Disney Ships is reporting on the disboards that the young boy is in stable condition this morning. (This an unofficial status report.)
Please continue to keep this family in your prayers on this Easter Sunday.
UPDATE 4/2/13 5:40 PM | The Orlando Sentinel has a limited update this evening. The young boy remains in the hospital after being pulled unresponsive from the Donald Pool on Saturday afternoon. According to the article a spokesperson for Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital would not release his condition, but Rena Langley, a spokeswomen for Disney Cruise Line confirmed the boy was still alive.
Please continue your prayers for this young boy and his family.
UPDATE 4/5/2013 9:16 AM | A Facebook page and CaringBridge page have been established by the Family of the young boy we know to be Chase Lykken.
Chase had an accident in the pool while on vacation. He was transported to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. The doctors have placed him into a medically induced coma. The family is asking for your prayers and support.
Based on the posts, Chase’s health is improving each day. The family has been jamming to some of his favorite tunes. On Thursday, Chase began breathing on his own again after days on a ventilator. “If all goes well for the next 4-5 hrs he will be taken off the ventilator completely,” according to the latest posting.
Please continue the well wishes coming for Chase and his family. Fo.r the latest updates (from the source), and to show your support check out Chase Lykken’s Facebook page or CaringBridge.
The Superhero CHASER fund has been established to help out the family. You can donate via the fund page on YouCaring.com.
UPDATE 5/7/2013 8:00 PM | The Orlando Sentinel ran an update story this evening with Disney Fantasy security photos of the Lykken Family on the pool deck which were released by the Port Canaveral Police Department. Included in the Sentinel’s story is a first hand account from the gentleman who discovered and pulled Chase from the pool.
This is one of the most heartbreaking stories I have read in a long time. This very adorable young boy and his family are all struggling terribly. The family and many well-wishers are praying for a miracle. He is currently in a vegetative state, but the family is hopeful about small movements like scrunches of his nose and movement across the bed.
From a legal perspective, one thing to note is that the police said this was a “tragic accident.” But the police do not have the final word and their accident report would be inadmissible in court. Disney had an absolute responsibility to keep their pools safe. An attorney really should investigate ASAP to make sure Disney had no fault in this tragedy.