Fallon toddler recovering after rod impaled his brain

FALLON - A 3-year-old boy who fell and impaled his head on a welding rod in mid-March is in stable condition, his grandmother said Friday. The family is asking for prayers and support.

Ethan Rupf, son of Fallon residents Ryan and Samantha Rupf, is breathing on his own at Oakland Children's Hospital and has responded once by squeezing his father's finger.

Grandmother Karan Barkdull of Fallon said the accident happened on March 17 on a day that would have been beautiful.

"It was on St. Patrick's Day, and the weather was really nice and the kids had been cooped up inside, so he was excited to play outside," she said. "He wandered off into an area where there was a workshop, and there was welding equipment and stuff there. He fell, and the welding rod went completely through his chin and through his brain."

Ethan was at his maternal grandparents' home when the accident occurred. He was found by another family member. The paramedics who responded, Barkdull said, didn't think the boy would survive. Ethan was helicoptered to Washoe Medical Center in Reno, where he underwent a 41Ú2-hour surgery to remove the rod.

Barkdull said the metal severely injured his cerebellum, which controls mobility. Ethan was then taken by Careflight to Children's Hospital Oakland, where there is a pediatric trauma department.

"His condition has improved some," Barkdull said. "He is breathing on his own now. He was living on a respirator for two weeks. He can't move, but he has grabbed his dad's finger."

She said Ethan cannot talk, but they've seen a tear trickle down his cheek. She said her son is a big, tough Marine, but at that moment he just lost it.

Ryan and Samantha Rupf, both Churchill County High School graduates, are in Oakland with Ethan. But Barkdull said her son won't be able to stay with Ethan too much longer.

"The Marines are being really wonderful to him, but at some point in time he is going to have to go back," she said about her son, who enlisted about six years ago.

Sgt. Ryan Rupf is stationed in Lemoore, Calif. He was given leave to be with his son and family.

"He will be in a lot of physical therapy," Barkdull said of Ethan. "It's going to be a long time. They're saying he'll probably never walk again."

The family is asking Churchill County residents to help the Rupfs with medical costs.

An account has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank called the Ethan Rupf Medical Fund. The only information needed is his birthday: 10/30/2000.

Contact Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@lahontanvalleynews.com