UPDATE: Boy in coma after fall from tree dies

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UPDATE: Boy in coma after fall from tree dies

Taken off life support on Friday
By David Reynolds
Dave.Reynolds@StarNewsOnline.com


Published: Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 7:49 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 7:49 p.m.
Belville | On Friday, Heather Skipper made the most difficult decision of her life. Her 9-year-old son Teddy Hiatt hadn’t woken up from a coma since he fell from a tree in Belville on Aug. 23.

He was dying.

If she allowed Teddy’s organs to be donated, Skipper said, maybe other parents might not go through what she has.

“I wanted something good to come out of this,” Skipper said. “It’s agony wondering whether your child is going to survive.”

Teddy of Oak Island was taken off life support on Friday, and he died at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. Skipper said his organs will be used to help eight other children.

On the afternoon of Aug. 23, Teddy was rushed from a neighborhood in Belville to the hospital after he fell out of a tree.

The Southport Elementary School student had been playing with friends outside his friends’ home at 10043 North Olde Towne Wynd when he fell.

The next day, Skipper said her son was on life support, but she was holding out hope he would pull through. She also said doctors had told her it was unlikely Teddy would survive.

Since Skipper does not have health insurance, people in the community have helped her with donations for medical bills.

Most recently, a fundraiser was held at Chaser's Beach Club in Oak Island on Saturday, Skipper said. She has also set up a fund at RBC Centura Bank in Wilmington.

On Sunday, Skipper said Teddy was adventurous and loved the outdoors. A little environmentalist, she said, Teddy would get frustrated if he saw someone throw their cigarette out a car window.

He loved to surf and already could beat his mom at chess. He is survived by his mother, his older sister Angel Hiatt, 13, and his father T.R. Hiatt.

Doctors performed surgery to relieve pressure on Teddy’s brain, Skipper said, but he didn’t recover from the serious neck and head injuries he received in the fall.

Teddy’s viewing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Peacock Newnam & White Funeral Home at 1141 North Howe St. in Southport. Skipper said anyone who would like to attend is welcome.

The funeral will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church of Oak Island.

David Reynolds: 343-2075

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Theodore “Teddy” Hiatt, of Oak Island, died at New Hanover Regional Medical Center on Friday. Contributed photo