While a Jackson youth still lies in a St. Louis children's hospital bed three months after nearly drowning in the city pool, some friends of the Andrew Tyler family are organizing fund-raisers back home.

Andrew, 11, is still not able to talk or express himself and is staying in the Transitional Care Unit at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital.

Doctors say Andrew is not in a coma, but in a "locked-in" state, said his mother, Becky Tyler.

"He's able to answer questions with his arms, but he's not able to verbalize," she said. "There is still a lot of healing that needs to take place."

Becky has stayed by Andrew's side at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital every night since June 5, when Andrew, practicing with a swim team, jumped into the water and did not immediately resurface. Ed, Andrew's father, makes daily commutes back and forth from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau's Dana Corp. to work.

It was determined that Andrew lost consciousness in the water when he went into cardiac arrest, the result of Long QT Syndrome, a heart disorder. Doctors figure the sudden change of temperature to his body accelerated the cardiac arrest.

A few days after the accident, he responded to a friend by blinking twice. Andrew continues to communicate with signals, but that communication has become somewhat less frequent recently.

"We think that's because he's on a lot of medicine and it makes him sleepy," his mother said. "Right now, we're just in a wait-and-see mode. There is no swelling in the brain. We're just waiting for him to come forth. There is not a time frame for coming home. We just plug along. We are trusting God for the outcome, whatever that is. We just try to keep our focus on the cross."

Tyler is a home-schooled child who enjoys watching Star Wars movies and playing video games, his neighborhood friend Brennan Mouser said.

"We were going to mow lawns this summer to make some money," Brennan said.

Coleen Mouser, Brennan's mother, is organizing some fund raisers to help the Tylers with medical expenses.

"The money will be for medical bills, and they're also looking at having to buy a wheelchair-lift type van," Mouser said. "They'll have to get their house wheelchair accessible. They'll have to make some major changes."

Mouser has opened up the Andrew Tyler Benefit Fund at the Bank of Missouri for anyone who wants to make a monetary donation. There will also be a benefit auction dinner on Nov. 8 at the Jackson Knights of Columbus Hall and a benefit dance for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at the Jackson Elks Lodge on Sept. 20.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the events or making a donation can call Coleen Mouser at 243-9966 or 979-3443.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635