Medics tried their hardest to save Miller Gardner… But sadly, nothing worked.
Over the weekend, former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and his wife Jessica revealed the heartbreaking news that their 14-year-old son Miller died after falling ill on vacation in Costa Rica.
We’ve since learned that the entire family came down with severe symptoms including stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea after eating at a restaurant near the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort where they were staying in Manuel Antonio. They called the resort doctor that night and were all prescribed medication to help ease their symptoms, but sadly Miller never woke up the next day. And we’re now learning about just what those frantic moments were like for the family and medical team handling the situation after the shocking discovery.
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On Wednesday, Dr. Kevin Gannon, head of a crash team that worked to revive Miller, spoke to DailyMail.com about their efforts. He explained his team administered “advanced life support, full on series of CPR, for 30 minutes but was unsuccessful.”
He explained:
“He was clinically dead. He had no vital signs, but we had no idea how long he’d been in that state so we got to work because everything was so unclear. If he’d been like that for only, say a few minutes, there would have been a chance of saving him.”
That’s so heartbreaking. There are just so many unanswered questions in this case.
While he personally wasn’t at the scene, he explained his team first tried a defibrillator but Miller showed no response. They then moved onto chest compressions and ensured his airways were clear. One thing he’s not clear of though is whether adrenaline was administered intravenously to Miller, as it has the potential to jumpstart a person’s heart.
But after 30 minutes of unrelenting efforts, the physician, nurse, and EMT driver on scene declared the teen’s death. Dr. Gannon explained:
“We called the authorities and we stayed with the body until they arrived and took over. Our physician dealt with the family members.”
That must have been such a difficult conversation to have with the Gardner family… They were supposed to be having the time of their lives on vacation.
On cause of death, Dr. Gannon revealed:
“It’s still a mystery. We as a clinic and as first responders have the same questions as everyone else at the moment. Because everything is so unclear. There are so many questions. It was overwhelming for everyone, all the family members, the hotel… it was very shocking. There are people who are saying he had an allergic reaction to medication that was given to him the previous evening, or medication given by the treating team… everyone’s in the air with that.”
Miller’s cause of death was preliminarily believed to be asphyxiation, but that was later ruled out entirely after “after “no macro-level abnormalities were observed in the respiratory tract upon inspection of the body,” according to Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia, an official with Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency.
As for now, an autopsy could take months but the investigation remains open. One insider told the outlet police officers are still interviewing staff members at the $1,000-per-night resort. Authority figures at the hotel have apparently urged employees to not discuss the matter with anyone but investigators. A source added:
“Officers are returning to ask a lot of questions. This has hit the resort hard because we have a reputation for really looking after people. We’ll accommodate many things, like special diets and treatment. Additionally, the resort has waived the charge for the Gardners’ stay in view of their tragic circumstances and were suffering so much.”
This situation just continues to be so tragic… Our hearts remain with Brett, Jessica, and Hunter, Miller’s older brother.
Rest in peace.
[Images via New York Yankees/X]
