2-year-old boy survives near drowning, family shares his story

Bo survived drowning doctors said might leave him paralyzed

The family of a Jacksonville boy who nearly drowned two years ago wants to share their story with other families.

"We found him at the bottom of the swimming pool. He was unresponsive and very cold, very blue, no heartbeat," said Ashley Green.

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News 6 sister station WJXT reported the Greens were spending Christmas 2015 at Ashley's parents' house in Texas.

They would stay there for months longer, praying for their 2-year-old son, Bo, to survive.

"Everybody was in the waiting room," Bo's father, Jeremy Green, said. "You don’t know what it is. It could be them sitting up talking to him, or they could just be cooking their thoughts and trying to tell you that your son has passed away."

When Bo was taken off his ventilator after 16 days, his parents said they knew their son was going to survive, but they didn’t know if he would be the same boy they knew.

"They told us he would never do anything -- maybe move his eyes, maybe move his head -- but he wouldn’t be able to walk or talk," Ashley said. "They gave us absolutely no hope. It was devastating."

But the Greens stayed strong, and two and a half years later, Bo was up and playing with his siblings.

The family said Bo a miracle. 

"I always say,' Life is crazy, but it’s good.' It’s a good life," Ashley said. "So we just look forward to the future. We have fun. We enjoy every day. We just believe that Bo is going to continue to get better. He’s going to live a normal life. The sky's the limit for Bo and for us."

The Greens thank family and friends, the staff at Dallas Children’s Hospital and the Navy for helping them get through the ordeal. Jeremy spent time with the Blue Angels, on the USS Iwo Jima and is currently based at NAS Jacksonville.

"My goodness, these guys out there, they were real family. We were trying to survive out there financially and they were giving everything," Jeremy said.

Bo will continue to undergo rehab for years due to a brain injury. He will be 5 in November.

Bo is in an exceptional student education class at Sable Palm Elementary School. His mom said he loves it.

Bo's family members said wants people to know that what happened to them can happen to anyone. They urge parents to put locks on doors and fences around pools, know CPR and to always be alert.

They said if the worst happens, it is important to still have faith. They said Bo is their miracle and they couldn’t be more proud of him.


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