7-Year-Old Who Spent 6 Hours In Ocean After Boat Sank Amazingly Wakes Up From Coma

Jun 17, 2019 by apost team

Miracles do happen. All you need to do is look at the case of Julian Hohnen, a seven-year-old Australian boy.

This little boy was having a fun trip out with his father, Maike, going fishing with a family friend, Stephen Jeacocke. According to News7 Australia, they were in the ocean off Queensland when things got serious. The boat sank. They were eight miles away from shore and the temperatures were about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

The water temperature may not seem too bad, but the average body temperature runs around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Being immersed in water so much lower in temperature is a struggle as the body tries to retain its heat. Before the boat completely sank, they were able to get out a distress signal. But, they ended up having to tread water for six hours. None of them had been wearing life jackets because they had been sleeping when the boat began to sink. When they woke up, they had no time to react other than to jump in the water.

apost.com

With the 7-year-old in the mix, staying alive was more of a challenge. The two men clung to debris while trying to keep Julian afloat. Finally, a rescue team was able to save them after they were spotted by an anchored tanker. The group was lifted into a helicopter and taken to the closest hospital. All of them were dealing with hypothermia. To give Julian a better chance at survival, they placed him in an induced coma.

“It’s always a delicate operation when you’re winching a patient that’s potentially suffering from hypothermia,” Kristy MacAlister, a representative for the Queensland Ambulance Service told News.com.au. “As you winch them out of the water, the wind temperature can also decrease the body temperature further.”

Despite being in an induced coma, Julian has a fighting spirit. He was able to open his eyes on Monday to the joy of his entire family. It's a miracle that he survived against all odds.

It's good that all three were found when they where. They had been in the water for hours and things could have gotten worse quite quickly. They were lucky to get out and survive. Julian, his dad, and Jeacocke appear to be recovering quite well. When Julian woke up, he began talking to his parents and family. He's in good spirits, even being in the hospital.

His dad put it quite well: "I’ve got a beautiful son, who puts a smile on my face every day!"

We wish Julian a speedy recovery and give thanks to the people who saved his life.

What do you think? Was Julian's recovery a miracle? Let others see this miraculous survival story for themselves by passing this story along to them.