An Oklahoma woman went into her 20-year-old son’s bedroom while he was hanging out with friends when she saw the unthinkable.Tonya Wilson-Caldwell’s son, Caleb, was unconscious and unresponsive. She didn’t know he and his friends had been drinking. Medical records show that his blood alcohol content was 0.591.Wilson-Caldwell and her sister walked KOCO 5 through the family’s nightmare.”I said, ‘What’s wrong with Caleb?’ He was just sitting like this. I shook him, and his friend said, ‘Oh, he’s just drunk,'” Wilson-Caldwell said.But Caleb wasn’t just drunk. He was dying.”There was, like, fluid coming out of his mouth and nose,” Wilson-Caldwell said. “I took his eyelid, I looked and his eyes were rolled back in his head.”Because the family lives minutes away from Norman Healthplex, they put Caleb’s limp body in the car and rushed him to the hospital. The family then went into a room Wilson-Caldwell said “no one ever wants to go into.”Caleb was placed on life support, and the doctors told his family unfathomable news. “His alcohol level was 0.591,” she said. “When it’s 0.4, there’s not even a life measure beyond that, and his was 0.591. It was horrible.” Caleb’s blood alcohol level was more than seven times the legal limit to drive.”Doctors told us that in 30 years, this was the highest alcohol level he had ever seen,” Caleb’s aunt, Shell Meador, said.If Caleb did survive, doctors warned his family of possible brain damage.”I asked my sister, I said, ‘You have to wake him up. Please wake him up. You have to,'” Wilson-Caldwell said.That’s what the family tried to do for more than 10 hours. As the sun began to rise on the next day, the family received the first glimmer of hope. “He squeezed my hand, and two tears fell,” Meador said. “I screamed, ‘He’s waking up! He’s waking up!'”Over the next several hours, the family prayed as Caleb fought for his life.”Watched her in agony, truly begging God to bring him back for 22 hours,” Meador said.The 20-year-old began to gain consciousness, and Caleb started to explain what he remembered from the night of drinking.”One of his friends had just turned 21,” Wilson-Caldwell said.Caleb’s mother said that friend had brought alcohol to Caleb’s house, where they played video games.”Alcohol. That 80-proof vodka that he drank had scorched, or burned, his stomach,” Wilson-Caldwell said.Caleb not only survived, but he has made a full recovery. Now, his family is sharing his story to encourage parents to talk to their young-adult children.”We don’t want any family to go through what we went through,” Meador said.Caleb has a message for other young adults: “If you see someone passed out, say something.”” Did my friends help me? And she said, ‘No, Caleb, your mama saved you,'” Caleb said.”I believe God was with him. Every time I see his face, I’m just grateful. I just smile,” Wilson-Caldwell said. Caleb told KOCO he felt invincible before his near-death experience. That’s why he gave his family permission to share this story and spread the word that life is precious and drinking can kill.
An Oklahoma woman went into her 20-year-old son’s bedroom while he was hanging out with friends when she saw the unthinkable.
Tonya Wilson-Caldwell’s son, Caleb, was unconscious and unresponsive. She didn’t know he and his friends had been drinking. Medical records show that his blood alcohol content was 0.591.
Wilson-Caldwell and her sister walked KOCO 5 through the family’s nightmare.
“I said, ‘What’s wrong with Caleb?’ He was just sitting like this. I shook him, and his friend said, ‘Oh, he’s just drunk,'” Wilson-Caldwell said.
But Caleb wasn’t just drunk. He was dying.
“There was, like, fluid coming out of his mouth and nose,” Wilson-Caldwell said. “I took his eyelid, I looked and his eyes were rolled back in his head.”
Because the family lives minutes away from Norman Healthplex, they put Caleb’s limp body in the car and rushed him to the hospital. The family then went into a room Wilson-Caldwell said “no one ever wants to go into.”
Caleb was placed on life support, and the doctors told his family unfathomable news.
“His alcohol level was 0.591,” she said. “When it’s 0.4, there’s not even a life measure beyond that, and his was 0.591. It was horrible.”
Caleb’s blood alcohol level was more than seven times the legal limit to drive.
“Doctors told us that in 30 years, this was the highest alcohol level he had ever seen,” Caleb’s aunt, Shell Meador, said.
If Caleb did survive, doctors warned his family of possible brain damage.
“I asked my sister, I said, ‘You have to wake him up. Please wake him up. You have to,'” Wilson-Caldwell said.
That’s what the family tried to do for more than 10 hours. As the sun began to rise on the next day, the family received the first glimmer of hope.
“He squeezed my hand, and two tears fell,” Meador said. “I screamed, ‘He’s waking up! He’s waking up!'”
Over the next several hours, the family prayed as Caleb fought for his life.
“Watched her in agony, truly begging God to bring him back for 22 hours,” Meador said.
The 20-year-old began to gain consciousness, and Caleb started to explain what he remembered from the night of drinking.
“One of his friends had just turned 21,” Wilson-Caldwell said.
Caleb’s mother said that friend had brought alcohol to Caleb’s house, where they played video games.
“Alcohol. That 80-proof vodka that he drank had scorched, or burned, his stomach,” Wilson-Caldwell said.
Caleb not only survived, but he has made a full recovery. Now, his family is sharing his story to encourage parents to talk to their young-adult children.
“We don’t want any family to go through what we went through,” Meador said.
Caleb has a message for other young adults: “If you see someone passed out, say something.”
“[I asked] Did my friends help me? And she said, ‘No, Caleb, your mama saved you,'” Caleb said.
“I believe God was with him. Every time I see his face, I’m just grateful. I just smile,” Wilson-Caldwell said.
Caleb told KOCO he felt invincible before his near-death experience. That’s why he gave his family permission to share this story and spread the word that life is precious and drinking can kill.
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