The four Nunam Iqua boys who were found in the snow on Tuesday, Feb. 4, will make a full recovery according to the mother of three of the boys, Karen Camille. She spoke with the kids by phone on the morning of Feb. 5.
“I just asked how they’re doing, and they said they’re good and they just want me to go to them,” Camille said.
The boys range from 2 to 14 years old. Alaska State Troopers reported that all four children were initially transported to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel. Troopers report that one child is still there, two were released, and another was flown to the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. ANMC spokesperson Shirley Young confirmed that 7-year-old Ethan Camille is currently hospitalized in their facility, and that his condition is “serious but stable.”
The boys’ mother added that her 14-year-old son, Christopher Johnson, was in bad condition after shielding the younger children from the wind. While the boys have been fighting a physical battle, Camille has been engaged in an emotional one.
“Tired still,” Camille said of how she’s feeling. “Wanting to go to my boys.”
Camille says that she misses her children, and that she’s proud of the older boys for protecting the 2-year-old. She plans to visit them as soon as she can.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Karen Camille said that her four children were at YKHC in Bethel. Alaska State Troopers say that Camille told them on Feb. 4 that one child was at YKHC, one was at ANMC, and two were released. ANMC has confirmed that one child is in their care.
An earlier version of this story stated that all four of the boys are brothers and Karen Camille was their mother. She is actually the mother of three of the boys: Christopher Johnson, 14, Frank Johnson, 8, and Trey Camille, 2.
