Mother receives plane ticket to visit son in coma

Nancy Arreola will be flying out soon to see her son, Anthony, who is hospitalized in Houston.

It’s all thanks to Angel Gomez, the co-founder of Operation Hope, who gathered money for a ticket.

ABC-7 first reported on Arreola’s situation last Tuesday. Twelve-year-old Anthony was in an all-terrain vehicle crash. He 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.

Gomez saw the report and reached out to Arreola to help.

“I just identify, more or less, like a grandpa and a dad,” Gomez said. “I would want to be there with my son. especially like that.”

Gomez presented the tickets to Arreola at Destiny Church on Sunday.

“I was crying in excitement. It’s been almost a week since I’ve been able to see my son,” Arreola said. “Even though he’s still in a coma, he’s going to be able to tell that I’m there with him. I know that’s going to make a difference for him.”

Gomez was in a coma a few years back. He knows how important it is to have family by your side.

“You do feel warmth. You do feel the touch. He’s going to feel his momma there, and that’s going to make him feel a lot better. I guarantee you,” Gomez said.

Arreola will fly out on February 28.