A doctor treating a 12-year-old Little League World Series player seriously injured in a fall from his bunk bed earlier this month says he is optimistic the boy will make a "full recovery."
Dr. Oded Goren, a neurosurgeon specializing in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania, told TODAY he thinks Easton Oliverson's recovery has been "just fantastic."
"It's impossible to really predict at such early stages, but the way he recovered and the way the initial scans looked after his surgery ... there are no signs of injuries to the brain itself from the initial trauma," Goren said. "So taking the images, which look fantastic, and taking his clinical progression, that is doing so well, I'm hopeful to have full recovery."
Nancy Oliverson, Easton's mother, also told TODAY she was also confident her son was going to recover.
"He's been moving mountains with his recovery," Oliverson said. "We've gotten so many prayers on his behalf that I, without a shadow of doubt, I think he will. He's a warrior out here."
Easton's recovery from the fall off of his bunk bed has captured the attention of sports fans and thousands of others online, as supporters watch for updates on the family-run Instagram account, @miraclesfortank, which refers to his nickname, "Tank."
A recent update said Easton, who is from St. George, Utah, had his feeding tube removed Tuesday, and he has been able to walk the entire loop of his hospital unit without stopping and with little assistance from the staff.
"It's just like miracles happening right before my eyes," Oliverson told TODAY. "I get so emotional thinking about Easton's whole journey and the support he's had from ultimately the whole country. You know, these things that people do to brighten his day."
Oliverson said Easton has recently received signed jerseys from the New York Yankees and Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell, as well as handwritten notes from his friends and neighbors. Easton's favorite baseball player, Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts, shared a video last week showing support for Easton's recovery.
All the gifts and displays of support have "brought a smile to his face," Easton's mom said.
"Sometimes we have better moments, you know, and sometimes he he feels down, which is expected, but the outpouring of love and prayers and support, ultimately from the whole nation, has been unbelievable," she said.
Goren said he was impressed with how quickly Easton moved out of the intensive care unit and into a regular hospital room, noting he had his breathing tube taken out about 36 hours after arriving at the hospital.
"Even when kids come and present with pretty dire situations after significant traumatic brain injuries for example, such as what Easton suffered, you are often surprised by how well they do over time," Goren said.
Easton, a pitcher and outfielder, was in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to compete in the Little League World Series with his team, Snow Canyon, on Aug. 15 when he fell out of his bunk bed and hit his head.
He was taken to an area hospital, where doctors determined he had fractured his skull and airlifted him to Geisinger Medical Center.
Goren said a team of doctors from across the hospital diagnosed Easton within six minutes of his arrival, and they immediately took him into surgery after a CAT scan revealed a hematoma in his brain.
The team decided to leave a portion of Easton's skull off during the surgery, to allow the brain to swell if needed, which is expected after this type of injury. Oliverson said Easton's second surgery to replace the piece of his skull is scheduled for Friday.
Goren said that if everything continues as planned, he expects for Easton to be discharged from Geisinger early next week and transferred to a hospital in Utah.
"Things are often dynamic and things can change, but the current plan is for him to stay until early next week," Goren told TODAY.
Easton's team was the first team from Utah to make it to the Little League World Series. Easton's little brother Brogan flew in to fill Easton's spot on the team, though Snow Canyon was eliminated from the tournament earlier this week.
After Eason's fall, Little League said in a statement to NBC News it would be removing bunk beds from the dorms at the Little League World Series.
"While these beds do not have guard rails, Little League is unaware of any serious injuries ever occurring during that period of time," the league said. "Out of an abundance of caution, Little League has made the decision to remove all bunks from within the dorms and have each bed frame individually on the floor."