Boy Hurt by Saw Getting Lots of Support During Recovery

Antonio Galvan and his 3-year-old son, Ryan, are nearly inseparable. And since Tuesday, when the shipping clerk’s only son was nearly cut in half by an electric circular saw, the two have grown closer than ever.

With the exception of a quick trip to his Fullerton home for a shower and a change of clothing Thursday afternoon, Galvan has ventured no farther from Ryan’s side than the cafeteria at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where the boy, the youngest of five Galvan children, remains in critical but stable condition.

Each evening, Galvan has put aside a good night’s sleep to stand by the frail boy’s side, stroking his thick, black hair and whispering encouraging words in his ear while nurses periodically replace fluid bottles and check the various tubes that are connected to his small body.

“Now that he’s awake all the time,” Galvan said, “he is hurting a lot. He doesn’t want me to go away.”

Ryan was injured around 4 p.m. Tuesday when he wandered outside his family’s West Baker Avenue home after he and his father had returned from a trip to the grocery store.

Nearby, a family friend who was using the power saw to replace some front windows on the house had put the tool down--plugged in and without a protective guard around its blade. As the friend walked away to get another blade, Ryan, fascinated by tools, picked up the saw.

Seconds later, Galvan was putting away groceries when he heard his son scream for him.

“I lost track of him for just a moment,” Galvan said.

The saw blade became embedded in the boy’s lower abdomen, severing much of his large and small intestines but, luckily, leaving his stomach and other vital organs mostly intact, doctors said. The boy, who underwent four hours of surgery, is expected to fully recover.

Hospital spokeswoman Ellen S. Ball said that hospital administrators have arranged for a trust fund to be established at a local bank and are encouraging concerned callers to send checks to help defray the cost of the soaring hospital bill that the family is expected to face.

She said that the hospital has already received dozens of calls from well-wishers inquiring about where to send money, get-well cards, balloons and flowers.

“For every person that called and offered help,” Ball said, “I believe that there are many more who haven’t called but want to.”

Lois Rotruck, an administrator for Security Pacific National Bank, said that she opened the free account on Thursday afternoon after Ball called.

“It’s the least we can do, from one human being to another,” said Rotruck, who visited Ryan as he rested in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit. “This little guy is really the hero in all this. He’s a real little trouper.”

Galvan said that insurance will pay 80% of the bill. The remaining 20%, Ball acknowledged, is likely to run into the thousands. Galvan said he may have to mortgage his house or liquidate some life insurance to come up with the money.

His son is expected to remain in intensive care for at least another six days and then be transferred to another room for an undetermined period.

“We don’t know when he will come home,” Galvan said. “But he is real tired of the place. He keeps telling me to take him home.”

To keep Ryan’s mind off the recurring pain that racks his body, hospital staff brought in a videocassette recorder so that he can watch “Ghostbusters” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” his two favorite movies, Galvan said. In addition, his bed is cluttered with stuffed cartoon characters such as Bart Simpson, Mickey Mouse and Wile E. Coyote.

Galvan said that Ryan does not consciously recall any details surrounding the accident. He still wonders how he got hurt and ended up in the hospital.

Gracie Galvan, the boy’s mother, said he sometimes is startled by loud whirring sounds.

“Someone was using a vacuum cleaner outside (the intensive care ward),” she said. “It woke him up, and he started crying. I think he was afraid. . . .”

Antonio Galvan said the family is considering psychological therapy for the boy once he is released from the hospital. But he is confident that the only permanent scar the boy will carry is the one that will stretch across his belly.

“He’s going to be fine,” Galvan said.