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On a GoFundMe page, Debra Vargas said that her son Codey Vargas suffered several injuries in an accident, including severe head trauma, a collapsed lung, several fractured ribs, paralyzed intestines, pneumonia, facial fractures, and several scrapes. Codey's accident happened on Wednesday, Mar. 20, but Debra wasn't aware of it until the U.S. embassy in Costa Rica told her on Tuesday, Apr. 2.
The GoFundMe page for Codey raised more than $49,000 from at least 607 donations as of Tuesday, Apr. 22. The money will go to medical expenses and the cost of transporting him to a U.S. hospital.
Debra immediately flew to Costa Rica when she heard about Codey's injuries.
"I am truly grateful for what the doctors have done to save Codey's life, but now moving forward Codey needs more care which is unable to be obtained in Costa Rica," Debra wrote on the GoFundMe page. "Codey has been laying in a hospital bed for 30 days without any movement of his body other than occasional turn and positioning."
Codey needed a craniotomy to relieve brain pressure, along with a tracheotomy and a respirator to help him breathe.
"Codey slipped into a coma shortly after receipt at the emergency department and has been kept in that state due to the severity of brain swelling," wrote Debra. "He has since opened his eyes but is unaware of his surroundings [and] the doctors call it the second stage of coma which is "vegetative state", but he is progressing."
Debra also said Codey needs a pulmonologist but his Costa Rican hospital does not have one.
"Being a nurse myself I know the detrimental risk and complications that are involved and inevitable if Codey remains in this hospital," she wrote.
Codey deployed to Kuwait in 2014 with the Army National Guard and when he returned from duty, he was honorably discharged due to injury.
"Codey is a veteran," she wrote. "He fought for our country, he fought for lives, and now Codey needs "us" our country to fight for his."
Debra also said she's working with the embassy and Congressional leaders to get Codey on a hospital plane back to the U.S.
You can click here to see the GoFundMe page for Codey Vargas.
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