Mother Whose Son Nearly Drowned Thankful

A year-old boy who nearly drowned two weeks ago in his family’s pool in Palm Desert will spend Thanksgiving in the hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery.

His parents, Sheila and Carlos Narvaez, are simply thankful he is alive.

“Ian is doing great. He was taken off of the ventilator yesterday (after six days on the oscillator) and is breathing on his own,” Sheila said. “His lungs are still wet, but he is clearing well.”

Ian is slowly getting better at a Kaiser hospital near Loma Linda, and his mother, Sheila, has yet to leave his side. It’s not clear when Ian will be released from the hospital, she said.

“All signs are of a full recovery and brain function,” Sheila added.

She said that she will spend Thanksgiving by her son’s side, while her two other children and husband will likely spend the holiday with family and friends.

“Although we may be separated, we certainly will have the best Thanksgiving ever,” Sheila said. “I cannot fully comprehend the entirety of this miracle right now, but this holiday season will be filled with unending joy.”

Ian accidentally fell into the family’s pool on Sunday, Nov. 13 at their home on Falcon Lane in Palm Desert, according to a sheriff’s official.

He was rushed in critical condition to Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

Sheila said she and her husband had planned on putting up a gate around the pool when she was pregnant, but "we had gotten very relaxed and comfortable becuase he is an extremely cautious boy with no interest in the pool."

She added that the accident was unexpected.

Sheila, whose family attends Southwest Community Church in Indian Wells, said she has witnessed God’s plan and protection in her son's recovery.

“Our faith has been confirmed in an incomprehensible caliber to which we will live our entire lives trying to truly understand and see God’s vision,” she said.

A fundraiser for the family is planned for the first Sunday in December at The Red Tomato restaurant in Palm Springs. Anyone can give to the "Ian Narvaez Donation Fund" at any Wells Fargo.