Anthony boy injured in ATV crash flown to Houston for care

Nancy Arreola remembers hearing five devastating words from the doctor after her 12-year-old son was involved in an all-terrain vehicle accident: prepare for the worst.

“The doctors kept telling us, you know, ‘Get prepared for the worst,'” Arreola said. “It was devastating.”

Arreola’s son, Anthony Arreola, was flown from University Medical Center in El Paso to Nexus Children’s Hospital in Houston because he needs long term acute care, which is unavailable in the Borderland.

“It was a hard hit and it caused a lot of head trauma,” Arreola said.

Arreola said her son was riding an ATV without a helmet when he struck a light pole. Her son was in the care of a family member at the time. Since then, Anthony has had severe head trauma and seizures. The twelve-year-old is currently in a coma.

“You can’t just let a kid ride without a helmet. First and foremost, comes the safety, and that safety is the helmet. Had my son been wearing a helmet, we wouldn’t’t be right now where we’re at.”

Arreola said friends and family have provided an outpouring of support, which she needs desperately.

“I need that support, I need that love, I need those prayers,” Arreola said. “I know my son needs them too.”

Because her son needs long term acute care in Houston, the family needs financial assistance for the complicated road ahead.

If you’d like to support the Arreola family in their time of need, you can donate through their GoFundMe or through Facebook.

“I’m hoping that my son comes out of that coma,” Arreola said. “That he can come back home with us with his family, his friends, with a community that has shown a lot of us love and support.”