Brain swelling subsides in 4-year-old Ohio boy hit in head by foul ball at minor league game

Ohio boy recovering after being hit by foul ball

AKRON, Ohio — Brain swelling has subsided in a 4-year-old Ohio boy whose skull was fractured when he was hit by a foul ball at a minor league baseball game, doctors said.

Luke Holko can move his arms and legs and appears to blink his eyes when spoken to, but he can’t talk. Doctors at Akron Children’s Hospital said a brain stem injury is healing but it could take months or years to determine how well he’ll recover.

“There is a very good chance Luke will make a good recovery,” Dr. James Besunder said. “After three weeks, to see Luke where he’s at is very encouraging.”

Luke’s mother, Nicole Holko of North Bloomfield, said Wednesday that when certain people speak to Luke, he appears to laugh or smile.

“He’s aware that we’re there from what we’ve been told,” she said. “He sees us and he hears us, but he can’t talk to us.”

Holko and his family had front-row seats near first base for the Sept. 2 doubleheader at Eastwood Field in Niles, the home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The northeast Ohio team is a short-season Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

Holko was hit by a foul line drive as he sat in his father’s lap and talked to his mother. The family had been shading their eyes from the sun to see where the balls were hit.

Scrappers first baseman Ben Carlson hit the ball that struck Holko. He has visited Luke three times in the hospital. Nicole Holko said they don’t blame him for the injury and that he’s part of the family now and always welcome.

Scrappers general manager Dave Smith said the team is staying updated on the boy’s condition and hoping for a positive recovery.

Luke is serious but stable condition. He has moved past a “life-threatening phase,” can breathe on his own and was moved Monday from the intensive care unit to his own room, Besunder said. Doctors expect Luke will be moved next week to the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation.

The brain stem regulates breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure and other involuntary actions. It also takes signals from the body — such as pain — and tells the body how to respond, Besunder said. He said Holko has no damage to the area of the brain that controls high levels of thinking.

His mother said she has stayed “pretty positive and optimistic” as he progresses.

“They might be little steps … but to him in his situation, they are huge steps,” she said.

Nicole Holko and her husband, Chad, have health insurance, but friends are organizing fundraisers to help pay for costs that aren’t covered.

Nicole Holko works as a medical assistant. While she’s exhausted her days off, co-workers have donated six months of their paid time to help.