"As cliché as it sounds, I immediately thought of Grey's Anatomy, and I took my belt off that I was wearing and wrapped it around his arm to stop the bleeding," the courageous dad said.
A 3-year-old boy is recovering after he nearly lost his arm in a brutal dog attack at his Cincinnati home earlier this month, according to PEOPLE. Xavier Carr's family was dog-sitting another person's Belgian Malinois on March 2, when they said that the little boy's arm was almost torn off during a dog attack, WKRC-TV reports. The toddler's father, Joshua Carr, told the outlet he rushed to his son's side when he heard him "screaming at the top of his lungs."
As @ChristianWKRC12 reports, a 3-year-old boy is recovering after having his arm nearly torn off by a dog: https://t.co/jozeZ0UCdX pic.twitter.com/YaxaAsFLBB
— Local 12/WKRC-TV (@Local12) March 13, 2023
"There was a huge puddle of blood underneath him," Carr recalled to the station. "As cliché as it sounds, I immediately thought of Grey's Anatomy, and I took my belt off that I was wearing and wrapped it around his arm to stop the bleeding as I was calling 911." Doctors credited the dad's quick action for saving his son's life. Carr says the paramedics and hospital staff told him that, without the belt around his arm slowing the bleeding, his son probably wouldn't have lived, WKRC-TV states.
Xavier underwent multiple surgeries to reconnect his limb, which was held on by two inches of muscle and skin. The medical team has had to piece Xavier’s arm back together with a vein from his leg, skin from his leg, and muscle from his side. Carr says it is expected to be about a two-year healing process with several more surgeries. Following the surgeries, doctors are optimistic he will regain the function of his arm. "It's going to be limited, but he's got a high chance of being able to use that [arm] again, partially because he was [attacked] at such a young age," Carr said.
A GoFundMe has been launched to help offset medical costs. "Hello, our names are Christine and Joshua, our 3-year-old son Xavier was attacked by a dog on Thursday, March 2nd. His arm was hanging on by 2 layers of muscle. He has already [undergone] many surgeries with many more to come. Including the reconstruction of the arm taking the skin, nerves, and muscles from other parts of his body to reconstruct the arm back together," the page description read.
It added, "The goal of raising funds is to provide Xavier with all the help that he can get with medical bills for the rest of his life, therapy, physical therapies, and much much more! Our family has already received a tremendous amount of support and prayers helping us through this tragic time and do not want the support to stop. Xavier is going to be dealing with this tragedy for the rest of his life." A benefit ride and dinner are scheduled for April 1 to support Xavier and his family. The dog involved in the attack has since been euthanized, according to WKRC-TV.
His family awaits his speedy recovery.
References:
https://people.com/crime/3-year-old-ohio-boy-nearly-loses-arm-dog-attack/
https://local12.com/news/local/3-year-old-boy-recovering-dog-mauling-attack-animal-maul-arm-bitten-
https://www.gofundme.com/f/q9uyg3-xavier-strong
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
