VALHALLA, New York (WABC) -- Luke Dunn, a 5-year-old triplet, is finally returning home to his family after an 11-month stay at Blythedale Children's Hospital.
In August 2024, Dunn suffered a cardiac arrest after nearly drowning in his family's pool.
He sustained a traumatic brain injury and doctors warned his mom that he might never "make meaningful recovery."
"As his mom, of course you always hope for the best, but ... people are telling you, 'expect the worst, this recovery may not be possible,'" said Dunn's mom, Stephanie Griffin.
Dunn was transferred to Blythedale last August, far from his home in Suffolk County, Long Island.
"The day he got here, he was still on a lot of medications, making him very sleepy, his muscles were all very tight, he was kind of just laying in bed, still pretty effected by the injury," said Nurse Practitioner Julie Miezejeski.
Recently, Dunn has been weaned off numerous medications meant to control blood pressure and pain. He underwent intense daily physical, speech and occupational therapy and is relearning how to walk.
"He laughs, he giggles, he says some words, a little bit, and he's just a very happy kid," Miezejeski said.
Clinicians who treated Dunn surrounded him in an emotional farewell as he left the hospital to reunite with his triplet brother and sister.
The trio are finally reunited, just in time to enter kindergarten this fall. Last week, they celebrated their fifth birthday.
"The three of them slept in the same room since they were born. There was a big piece missing without him," Griffin said.
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