Annie Cooper was unable to pry open the hyperbaric oxygen chamber that had trapped her beloved 5-year-old son in a deadly inferno, and she watched in terror as he was charred alive.
On January 31, five-year-old Thomas Cooper was taken to the Oxford Center, an alternative healthcare facility, to receive treatment for sleep apnea and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using hyperbaric chambers.
“This treatment wasn’t definitely necessary to save lives. “It was just a mother who was trying to help her son with some conditions that he had and was promised that these conditions and this treatment would be able to help,” James Harrington, the family’s lawyer, told NBC News.
He goes on to say that “Annie was trying to help her child as any parent would – as good parents do,” and that Thomas had previously attended multiple sessions at the Oxford Center, which is situated in the Troy suburb of Detroit.
Treatment with oxygen
The hospital treats over 100 illnesses, including cancer, Alzheimer’s, dyslexia, and autism, according to its website. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved hyperbaric oxygen treatment for these conditions.
The FDA has authorized hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which provides 100% oxygen in a confined, pressured tube-like chamber, to treat a number of conditions, such as decompression sickness in scuba divers, certain burns and wounds, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
An burst of fire
Officers and firefighters responded to an emergency report at the Oxford Center at 7:54 a.m., according to the Troy Fire Department.
Upon arrival, first responders found that a child named Thomas had “deceased inside” a detonated hyperbaric chamber.
A hyperbaric chamber has a 100% oxygen content, which is up to three times more than that of a normal room. Troy Police said in a statement that “this type of incident is uncommon.” “A pressurized environment may become extremely flammable due to the high oxygen content.”
Horrifiedly watching
Annie Cooper, Thomas’s mother, watched helplessly from the sidelines of the oxygen chamber as her son was burned alive.
“She was trying and trying to get him out, and was unsuccessful,” Harrington said. While attempting to rescue her infant from the raging flames, she also sustained severe burns on her arm.
“She does have visible burns,” he continued. “But for her, the real problem will be the emotional trauma.”
“Absolutely heartbroken”
According to a GoFundMe campaign created to give the family financial support, Thomas “was the smartest and cutest kid that liked to zoom, zoom, zoom.” According to the campaign’s organizer, it has raised $65,000 out of its $75,000 goal. He would sing, “I love mama, I love mama, I love mama so very much.” He also enjoyed saying, “My mommy is the best in the world.”
When he grew up, he wanted to work as a chef. He said, “so I can be with mommy forever,” in response to his mother’s question about why.His family loved him very much. He was a sharp, intelligent child, and his parents loved him for it. He was perfect in every way. He is the best boy that has ever existed.
In a statement regarding the event that was given to the Detroit Free Press, the Oxford Center stated that “the safety and wellbeing of the children we serve is our highest priority.” Nothing comparable has happened in the more than 15 years that we have been providing this type of therapy. We don’t know how or why this happened, so we will participate in all the investigations that need to be done now.
According to Harrington, the boy’s family is “completely heartbroken” by his death and plans to file a lawsuit “to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
May you rest in peace, Thomas. Please offer the family your well wishes in the space provided below, then share this story with others and urge your friends to do the same.
