Little Luke Holko was always having fun -- a photo taken the other night, just minutes before he was hit by a line-drive while watching a Scrappers game with his dad and mom. Nicole Holko says, "I heard the ball hit, but I wasn't really watching the game. I was watching him," and suddenly, "I just kind of saw Luke go limp."
Nicole says although Luke just turned four, he loved baseball and the family had seen several other games this year, knowing there was always a danger. She says "it was just one of those things, where one second you didn't look -- one pitch you didn't look."
Luke's doctor says the ball hit him in the back of the head, fracturing his skull and causing swelling near the brain stem. For now, he remains in an induced coma, waiting for the swelling to subside.
Meanwhile, the family has received hundreds of messages of encouragement and support from the community, including many from the Scrappers organization. Nicole's uncle, Rev. Lee Lenhart tells us, "There's a couple hundred e-mails. We appreciate that. We thank you for that. We appreciate your prayers."
Friday night, Luke is listed in critical condition in the ICU at Akron Children's Hospital. His mom tells us she and her husband, Chad, are prepared for "the long-haul", as she calls it, waiting for their little boy to recover.
The family says a fund has been set up through Cortland Banks to help defray Luke's medical expenses.
