Utah Little Leaguer Easton “Tank” Oliverson, 12, is making a remarkable recovery after he fell from the top bunk of a bunk bed and suffered a serious head injury while at the Little League World Series on August 14.
Since coming out of a medically induced coma, Oliverson is walking with support, sitting upright, eating, and communicating more frequently, according to an Instagram account “@miraclesfortank” that provides updates on the Little Leaguer’s recovery.
“He is making great strides, and we as a family couldn’t be more grateful. At this time, we would like to ask specifically for prayers of understanding and peace for Easton as he comes to learn of and accept the situation that he is now in,” the account read on Thursday.
Although Oliverson has made impressive strides in his recovery, he is experiencing swelling in his face, which is most likely to get “worse,” @miraclesfortank updated on Friday. The swelling has also impacted his vision.
“While we have seen a countless amount of miracles in Easton’s journey (and still are), he is still going to have hard moments like today,” Friday’s update stated.
Oliverson had traveled to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with the Snow Canyon All-Stars team from Santa Clara, Utah, to play in the 2022 Little League World Series.
Oliverson’s teammates were, fortunately, able to hear his fall when the scary injury happened in the middle of Sunday night, the boy’s uncle, Spencer Beck, told the Associated Press.
“When they got into surgery, the doctor talked to Jace [his father] and said had he not gotten into surgery but 30 minutes later, he would have been dead,” Beck said.
The 12-year-old was rushed to a children’s hospital and initially went into a medically induced coma but exited on Wednesday after doctors removed a hematoma and stopped the bleeding, according to @miraclesfortank.
The Snow Canyon team announced on Wednesday that Oliverson’s brother, Brogan, was added to the roster to replace the injured boy, Breitbart News reported.
When Brogan went up to his first at-bat against Tennessee on Friday, he received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Oliverson has received many well-wishes and prayers from all around the baseball world, including from MLB All-Stars Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Matt Carpenter of the New York Yankees.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.