RYAN'S STORY

Ryan Kotschedoff was laughing and playing with his older sister in the family's unheated backyard spa when Susie heard screaming. She rushed out to find Ryan stuck in the suction of the spa's six-inch drain and when she was unable to pull him out, she immediately turned off the spa and rescued him. To her horror, the power of the suction had disemboweled him. He lay on the floor, crying and cowering in pain as she called 9-1-1.

Minutes later, they arrived at the Emergency Department at CHOC at Mission, where a trauma team was assembled and waiting, ready to whisk him away to perform the surgery that would save his life.

While Susie waited outside the operating room for Ryan's father to arrive, a nurse kept her updated on the progress of her son's surgery. There was some good news, Ryan's bowel was torn but not perforated, and his surgeon, Stephen DeSantis, M.D., was taking a step-by-step, cautious approach to the repair.

Four days later, Ryan was discharged from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at CHOC at Mission, where he had been recovering from his surgery. And though many patients surviving similar accidents have needed colostomies and feeding tubes, Ryan has now made a near-full recovery.

"We were incredibly blessed that our son made it through this and came out okay," says Peter Kotschedoff. "Everyone's quick actions, the combination of Susie's fast thinking, the paramedics getting Ryan to the hospital in minutes, and the trauma team ready to act immediately, saved him from the worst."

"Our experience at CHOC at Mission was excellent," he says. "As Ryan recovered, we were cared for by the PICU's wonderful, compassionate nurses."

Now that Ryan is feeling better, the Kotschedoffs are working on legislation to strengthen safety requirements for new and older spas and pools to keep other children safe from the danger Ryan faced.

And Ryan says he will be staying away from hot tubs for a while.