Waylon, however, has confused all expectations. On Saturday morning he had opened his eyes and after a tumultuous weekend he was walking and talking on his own and the doctors allowed him to be sent home.

Julianne said their doctor told them Waylon’s speedy recovery was nothing short of miraculous.

“She said every now and then that they get Christmas miracles, where something just plain crazy, out of the blue can happen,” Julianne said. “But she said they never had something like that in a normal time … they call (it) a Mother’s Day miracle.”

Waylon’s grandmother Tawny Nelson said the episode happened on the 2,000-acre farm of her and her husband, between Moscow and Troy, on Friday night. She said Waylon and his other grandchildren had played outside, but when they went to see him he was nowhere to be found.

Julianne said that when her search had taken her near a small pond on the property, she found Waylon’s shoes stuck in the mud near the shore. She noticed something white floating about 35 feet in the water and remembered Waylon wearing a white shirt.

“I dived, and he was over there, and he was soft. It was no longer breathing and was changing color, ”Julianne said. “I got him back as fast as I could across the pond to the shore.

Once on dry land, Julianne said she immediately started CPR and yelled at her mother to call 911. She said the first responder on the scene was her best friend. his brother, Travis Osborn, who took care of the chest compressions all the way to the ambulance. arrival.

Waylon was taken to Gritman Medical Center where he was stabilized before being taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane via Life Flight. Doctors performed a CT scan as soon as they arrived at the intensive care unit, Tawny said. She said doctors found very little brain activity and told them to prepare for the worst.

But on Saturday, when they started cutting back on the drugs that kept him sedated, Tawny said, his eyes opened and the doctor revised his prognosis. Julianne said when he came, Waylon reached out to her as if to be held and said the word “mum”.

“It was the most wonderful feeling you could imagine,” Julianne said.

A day later on Mother’s Day, Waylon was extubated and he immediately had something to say.

“As soon as they took out the tubes he started asking mum and I walked over to him… and he said, ‘Mum – want chocolate,’” Julianne said. “It was the sweetest little thing ever, all the nurses started to cry.

Since then, Waylon has been a little wobbly on his feet, but seems to slowly regain his balance enough to stand and walk on his own. Julianne said he was chatty, although a bit hoarse, and asked about once an hour to come out and play with his bow and arrows.

Tawny said there was still some uncertainty over whether he suffered any long-term neurological effects, but reiterated that his recovery so far has been more positive than they had dared to hope for.

“We reached out to everyone we could and put them on every prayer chain. … We heard it was part of prayer chains in Africa, the Philippines (and) all over the state, ”Tawny said. “He’s on so many prayer chains not only in the United States, but across the world, and we can’t help but think that… God has played a part in this because no one expected so that he lives. “

A fundraiser to help cover the cost of Life Flight and other medical expenses related to Waylon’s treatment and recovery has started on Facebook. Those who wish to donate can visit this shortened link: bit.ly/3f30FgI.