James Edwards completes his fifth-grade study ten years after near-drowning

Coral Springs, Florida – Ten years have passed since James Edwards, a toddler at the time, almost drowned in the backyard pool of his Coral Springs home.

The admirer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is currently graduating from Country Hills Elementary’s fifth grade.

James, then two years old, slid away from his grandfather and fell into the pool on May 30, 2014, while his parents, Jenna and Skyler, were at the hospital celebrating the arrival of their second child. Not long after, he was discovered to be non-responsive.

“The first responders administered CPR, and thanks to the implementation of the Handtevy resuscitation system, James was given life-saving medication to try to restart his heart in our backyard.”

After being sent to Broward Health Fort Lauderdale, he was kept in the PICU for 42 days.
Jenna claims that James has had numerous difficulties throughout the years. In every way, he is totally dependent on other people.

“We have managed to find therapies that are more activity-based to give him some entertainment while also being effective in helping him with physical growth,” she added.

James uses an exoskeleton to mimic walking at home and undergoes physical therapy once a week at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Coral Springs, according to his mother.

According to Jenna, James has consistently demonstrated his cognitive understanding of his surroundings. “While he cannot interact verbally, he has adapted his communication skills, and we are all learning to communicate with him every day.”

James uses his eyes to communicate using augmentative and alternative communication technology.

“It is really rewarding to see him express his thoughts and have others understand him. He is a child who loves being social,” she said, adding that the family is always looking for ways for James to interact with his peers.

James is regarded as “just one of the kids,” the eldest of the Edwards family’s four children and one of the thirteen grandchildren who reside in Coral Springs and Parkland.

According to Jenna, the kids constantly take into account his needs and inclusion, treating him like king. He considers his siblings to be the funniest individuals in the world and thinks they are the world. She revealed that the children set a good example for their peers and are James’s strongest supporters.

“Our family is very close, and I cannot stress the impact that constant social stimulation has had on James.”

The family moved to Parkland not too long ago. Jenna started working as an administrative assistant, and Skyler Edwards works in sales.

James’s affection for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “has not wavered at any point in his life,” and he remains one of their biggest fans. The moniker “Turtle Power” on the family’s Facebook page, which provides updates on James’s healing, is meant to symbolize that love.
She revealed that he’s been watching mature prank shows like Impractical Jokers lately. He enjoys laughing and has a lighthearted sense of humor.

“We are a baseball family, and he is his brothers’ number one fan,” Jenna said. “He enjoys spending his nights and weekends at the baseball field, as long as he has the proper luxuries in place – like his own umbrella chair, a fan, a cold beverage to sip on, and some snacks being fed to him. He loves when people come up to talk to him.”

Jenna stated that James’s recuperation has been greatly aided by the affection and support of the Coral Springs community.

“Our friends and neighbors have proven time and again that even though we aren’t a small town, we support each other in times of need,” she added.

Numerous fundraising events, restaurant givebacks, a golf tournament, the brewing of an entire beer vessel in James’s honor, the creation of T-shirts, and the donation of numerous goods to hospitals across the country have all taken place since the accident.

“This is a community where people, ten years later, still come up to James and tell him how amazing he is and how they continue to root for his success,” Jenna said.

As she considered the 10 years that have passed since James’s injury, she noted that love has supported the family through almost insurmountable difficulties.

“Love has been our driving force. We chose 1 Corinthians 13 as a reading at our wedding that we live out every day about love: “It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”