New York Daily News – by JOEL LANDAU
With their teenage son in a coma, a California family was willing to try anything to bring him back.
And with a new type of treatment, their son has made a miraculous recovery — thanks to fish oil.
Grant Virgin, now 17, of Palm Desert, Calif., was involved in a near-tragic car accident last September when an unidentified woman crashed into him and drove off — even after stopping to survey the damage, the Desert Sun reported.
Virgin was in a coma and was in really bad shape.
![Grant’s mother, JJ, wouldn’t take doctors’ assessment of her son at face value. ‘They told us to let him go. ... It’s like, how dare you not fight for my son’s life?’ Grant’s mother, JJ, wouldn’t take doctors’ assessment of her son at face value. ‘They told us to let him go. ... It’s like, how dare you not fight for my son’s life?’](https://i0.wp.com/assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1584516.1390145686!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/virgin20n-2-web.jpg?w=960)
CNN
Grant’s mother, JJ, wouldn’t take doctors’ assessment of her son at face value. ‘They told us to let him go. … It’s like, how dare you not fight for my son’s life?’
He had fractures in his skull, clavicle, both femurs and heel, the newspaper reported. His spleen and liver were lacerated and his aorta was crushed.
Doctors told Grant’s parents, John and JJ, that he would never wake up.
“They told us to let him go,” Grant’s mother JJ, a celebrity nutritionist, told CNN. “It’s like, how dare you not fight for my son’s life? … It really took us … getting very aggressive and assertive to save our son’s life, because they weren’t going to do it.”
The family moved their son to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and tried everything they could to help their son.
![Grant made progress after the car accident, learning how to function after several life-threatening injuries. Grant made progress after the car accident, learning how to function after several life-threatening injuries.](https://i0.wp.com/assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1584517.1390145687!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/virgin20n-3-web.jpg?w=960)
CNN
Grant made progress after the car accident, learning how to function after several life-threatening injuries.
Something in particular was high doses of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, CNN reported.
“If you have a brick wall and it gets damaged, wouldn’t you want to use bricks to repair it?” Dr. Michael Lewis, founder of the Brain Health Education and Research Institute, told CNN. “By supplementing using (omega-3 fatty acids) in substantial doses, you provide the foundation for the brain to repair itself.”
There has been limited research on its effects, but Virgin’s doctors said they believe the fish oil can stop the inflammation in the brain.
Grant had awoken from the coma and had begun speaking short phrases. His parents were again told to wait, but the family kept moving forward with his treatment.
![Grant suffered a fractured skull, clavicle, femurs and heels, as well as a lacerated spleen and liver. Grant suffered a fractured skull, clavicle, femurs and heels, as well as a lacerated spleen and liver.](https://i0.wp.com/assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1584518.1390145688!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/virgin20n-1-web.jpg?w=960)
CNN
Grant suffered a fractured skull, clavicle, femurs and heels, as well as a lacerated spleen and liver.
The doctors administered the fish oil and, within a few days, Grant was able to use full sentences, CNN reported.
And just a few months after the accident, he is back home and doing very well. His body is nearly fully recovered, though he still struggles with speech, the Desert Sun reported. His father John told the newspaper a full complete recovery is maybe two to five years away.
But considering the grim initial prognosis, the family will take it.
“Grant is GREAT,” JJ wrote on her Facebook page. “He’s a reminder that we NEVER stop fighting. Our BEST life is worth the fight. Right?”
And Grant has now become an inspiration to others in the hospital. He recently came back to show everyone his progress.
“From when he first arrived compared to now is just night and day,” Elly Schoap, an occupational therapist at the hospital, told the Desert Sun. “When he left us he was able to walk and talk, but he was still very impaired. … This is why we work in this area. To have him come back and see this kind of success story is just amazing.”
jlandau@nydailynews.com Follow on Twitter @joelzlandau
Awesome article Angel. I would be a little leary about the fish oil though because of all the radiation in the oceans and all. Is it possible to be able to neutralize all that radiation or something? Just thinking again ya know 🙂
Hey Diggerdan. been trying to find substitute for cod liver oil, and or krill oil. not had much luck so far. afraid of anything out of the sea at this point.
Yea I know Paul, same problem I have too. I do not even eat freash water fish, and I like eating sea foods and other fish – not any more though. This planet earth is turning into one big polluted cess pool. 🙁 🙁
yup it is.
Hey Paul and Misty. I just put up that link and it checked out before I put it up. And then when it was put up I checked it again and it was nothing short of being different than what it was before I posted it. Anyway Paul and Misty, have you guys thought of Flax seed oil, I guess that that has even more omega 3 fatty acids than does fish from what I have read any way. You may want to do a search about Flax seed oil and Omega 3 fatty acids. there are a lot of different seeds that are high in this suppliment. I have been haveing real bad luck sending links lately. Anyway it is close to calling it a night so until then good nite all , I will be callin` it shortly 😉 😎
As of tomorrow I have had my dogs on fish oil for one month. I myself am wondering……… should I be doing this per the poison in the waters?
I do not think that I would Misty.
Thanks, I will check out Flax seed oil.
I have some Omega-3 fish oil 1000 mg softgels that I stopped taking a few years ago because they they tasted like crap – ya could taste that nasty fishy taste all day after takeing just one softgel. Yea, Misty, Flax seed/oil would be a very good substitute for the fish oil ones. Make sure that they are not toxic to your puppy /dog though. There are other good plant sources for Omega 3`s too. 😉
Hey Digger. glad you said that. i have flax seed, and also chia seeds. looks like both of them are a good replacement for oil. apparently chia is better than flax.
Really Paul, I never knew that about the Chia seeds – gives new meaning to Chia Pet 😆 – I like it 😉 . Ya know Paul I guess that Flax oil is even higher in the Omega-3 `s than fish oil, at least from what I have read. I have noticed that on MSM that they are pushing the fish oil form rather hard lately.
“gives new meaning to Chia Pet :lol:” that’s funny. I have also ran into an article about replacing fish fat with seed fat, and that it is not the same. However I will take my chances with the flax/chia for now. the seeds are touted to have the correct omega 3 to omega 6 ratio, that we humans require.
also if msm is pushing fish oil, that’s a good reason to NOT take it.