WESTROC, Manitoba, May 11 (UPI) -- An 8-year-old boy told his parents he wanted "hot dogs and chips" when he returned to his Manitoba Hutterite colony after nearly drowning in frigid water.
Samuel Gross, who was trapped under water for 20 minutes April 9, was greeted by all 90 members of the Westroc Hutterite Colony, 75 miles west of Winnipeg.
Samuel slipped off a snowbank and fell into a raging stream. Unable to swim, he got sucked into a culvert.
After being rescued, he spent 12 days in a coma amid prayers from his family, members of the communal branch of Anabaptists who, like Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the 16th century.
On the 13th day, Samuel opened his eyes, moved his arm and said, "Ouch," The Globe and Mail reported.
He then recited his father's cell phone number and the names of family members. Murray Kesselman, head of the pediatric intensive-care unit of Winnipeg's Health Sciences Center, later deemed him "the boy that he was," the newspaper said.
When Samuel arrived at Westroc, he saw community members standing on a parade float, cheering, waving balloons and holding a sign that read, "It's been a long month, but finally, WELCOME BACK," the Globe and Mail said.
"I didn't want to get out of the vehicle," the newspaper quoted Samuel as saying in his first public words since the accident. "It was too much."
The family followed the parade all the way to the communal kitchen.
That night, the entire colony ate hot dogs and fries.
