A 10-year-old boy from Huntley was left severely injured after a boat accident where he was sliced by a propeller while on a fishing trip with family members in Canada.
Brayden Quiros, 10, of Huntley, was on a fishing trip with his father and step-grandpa in Ontario, Canada.
Quiros suffered severe, life-threatening injuries after a boat propeller sliced him, according to Crystal Lake resident Laura Tomassetti.
A good Samaritan fisherman was nearby and able to provide lifesaving first aid to Quiros.
Tomassetti said Quiros was brought to shore and transported to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
He was stable and awake following the procedure and has since returned home to the Chicago area.
“The Quiros family was required to pay their bill in full before they could leave the hospital in Canada. Figuring out how to cover that much money in a very short amount of time is something no parents should have to endure while trying to advocate for their child’s significant medical needs,” Tomassetti said.
Quiros was released from the local hospital last week and the family drove five hours to the Duluth International Airport in Minnesota.
Two nurses from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge met with them and they flew home together on Thursday evening.
Quiros, a hockey player, was then transported by ambulance to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, which has a children’s hospital.
Tomassetti said specialists at the children’s hospital evaluated Quiros and confirmed the surgery in Canada was successful and he is on the road to recovery.
“He has a lot of upcoming follow up appointments, but the amount of progress he has made since being back in the US is an absolute miracle,” Tomassetti said.
A GoFundMe account was created by the Yellowjackets and Stingers hockey clubs to help ease the family’s burden of medical expenses and other costs as they focus on the Quiros’ recovery.
The boy’s mother, Brittany Quiros, said she and her husband are not ones to accept help willingly.
“In our minds there are so many other people out there who are far worse off that could use that money,” Quiros said.
“We have no idea how much things are going to cost and what the future holds, but we appreciate everything everyone done and are so thankful for this hockey community,” she said.
Tomassetti said the Quiros family is the “most caring, generous and genuinely good people” around.
The GoFundMe account has already raised over $11,000, which is more than the family’s out-of-pocket medical expenses. The additional funds are set to be donated to Quiros’ second home — his ice rink.