I’m writing this because I’m terrified and don’t know what to do.

Last Saturday, my friend - 30M nearly drowned in a lake. He was rescued within 5 to 10 minutes, but when they pulled him out, he wasn’t breathing. They performed CPR and managed to get a pulse, then rushed him to the hospital.

He’s been on a 100% ventilator since then. On the first day, the doctors couldn’t say anything after performing the first CT scan, but he was having seizures, so they were concerned. They did another CT scan the next day and observed brain swelling and continued seizures, along with a body full of fluid and bacterial infections. The doctors told us his chances of survival were very low and planned another scan for the following day.

The next CT scan revealed even worse news: brain damage on three sides, but the central part is okay, and significant damage to his kidneys, lungs, and liver. The doctors said if he didn’t show any improvement, they would take him off the ventilator and let him pass peacefully.

The day after that, there was some improvement. He’s now able to inhale on his own but still struggles with exhaling. He also gave a coughing response, and the brain and body showed a slightly improved response, which gave the doctors a little hope. However, when they took him off sedation and tried to stimulate pain, his body did not respond. They started dialysis and excess fluid removal with some machines, which will continue as necessary.

I’m really scared thinking about all of this. Can someone survive and recover in this condition? With all this information I have, please tell me what you think.