Four-year-old Robby Klimaytis was playing outside his grandparents' house in Redding on Nov. 5 when a tree fell on him, depriving him of oxygen for 20 to 30 minutes.
"Initially, Robby’s injuries were so severe it was doubtful he would survive," Mary Maday, a friend of the Klimaytis family, wrote in an email to Patch. "At this point, one month later, while his condition has been stabilized he will require extensive home care daily for the rest of his life."
That care won't come cheaply, and in order to help curb the costs, an online auction has been set up to help. The auction, which can be found on Facebook by clicking here, runs through Dec. 23 at midnight. As of Friday afternoon, 58 items were up for auction.
After the accident, Robby was airlifted to Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Because he was deprived of oxygen for so long, Robby suffered "irreperable brain damage," according to Fox CT.
Robby was put on a respirator, but his family eventually agreed that he should be able to pass peacefully. The family decided to take him off of a respirator, but then Robby started breathing on his own.
"It was kind of a shock," Angela Klimaytis, Robby's mother, told FOX CT in an interview. "We had all prepared for him to pass. The rest of his body got better."
Robby's story has inspired many. A Facebook page—#teamrobby—has generated nearly 6,900 likes.
Greg Klimaytis, Robby's father, was born and raised in Redding, as was his uncle, Jesse, and grandmother Patti.
"The family has always had strong ties through family and friends in Redding," Maday wrote.
Robby is living with his mother and his grandparents in Somers.
For more information, head to teamrobby.com.
