'God Gave Us Another Chance With This Boy'

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By By Molly Shen

Summary

A 4-year-old who was mauled by dogs a month ago gets to go home from the hospital early after a miraculous recovery.

Story Published: Dec 14, 2004 at 3:34 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 1:48 AM PDT

'God Gave Us Another Chance With This Boy'
SEATTLE - When 4-year-old Jose Basilio says, "It hurts here," he raises his arm to touch the back of his head.

That is nothing short of a miracle.

And he adds, "I am feeling a lot better."

A month and a half ago, a pack of stray dogs were fighting over something in Jose's grandmother's yard in Wapato, Yakima County. She yelled for them to scatter and saw that it was Jose.

"All I did was put him in my arms and was kicking the pit bull," says Monica Esparza.

The dogs tore away chunks of Jose's arms and shoulders. He had more than 50 puncture wounds.

"He wasn't yelling or crying or anything and I thought he was more dead than alive," Esparza describes. "So when I grabbed him up and he told me he was cold and sleepy, I just tried keeping him awake until they got there because I was afraid he was bleeding to death."

Doctors at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle used an artificial skin called Integra to patch his wounds. Still, they didn't expect Jose to do this well.

"Oh! A present!" Jose exclaimed in the middle of his interview with media.

His plastic surgeon Dr. Loren Engrav walked into the room with a wrapped gift. And as it turns out, Dr. Engrav gave him several gifts today.

The box contained a couple toys. Even better, Jose got his discharge papers.

"You put together the young healthy individual and the pediatricians and nurses who do what they do and procedures that went well, and he's going home for Christmas," says Dr. Engrav.

It's a Christmas surprise that no one expected.

His Grandmother left saying, "God gave us another chance with this little boy, to not take life for granted."