Boy an 'inspiration' to Ochsner staff

Concerned citizens across St. Tammany Parish have rallied to the aid of Devin Funck, the Slidell youngster who lost an arm last week when an 11-foot alligator attacked him as he swam with friends in a local pond.

An account in Devin’s name has been set up at Capital One Bank, and those wishing to make donations can visit any branch to do so. Aamco Transmissions locations in Covington, Slidell and Metairie will make a matching donation up to a certain percentage that has yet to be determined.

“All someone has to do is bring in their receipt so we can document it,” said Cory Dunn, manager of the Covington location and a Funck family friend. “We’ll also offer them a discount on services.”

Dunn got involved when his boss, Paul Alline, who owns the three Aamco locations, was working at his Slidell shop and heard a news report about the attack.

“I knew Cory was friends with the family, and I just had to do something,” said Alline. “This boy will face a lifetime of physical therapy and prosthetics, and it’s going to be so hard on him and his family.”

The ordeal has understandably hit the Funck family hard. Dunn said they are “coping the best that they can, under the circumstances,” communicating with those outside the hospital through an aunt.

According to a statement released Friday by Ochsner Foundation Hospital, Devin’s left arm was severed at the shoulder, and surgeons were unable to successfully reattach it. The boy also suffered several wounds to his body and is expected to undergo several other surgeries in coming days to help avoid infection.

Pediatric Intensive Care Specialist Dr. Leron Finger praised the boy’s courage, saying that both he and his family have been an “inspiration.” He is expected to recover with the help of physical therapy in the coming months and will eventually be fitted for a prosthesis, the doctor said.

What will become of the giant alligator’s remains has yet to be determined. It will become the property of Deputy 1st Class Howard McCrea, the licensed trapper who was working with Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries agent Lt. Darryl Galloway to capture the gator and retrieve the boy’s arm.

“In a case like this, when a nuisance gator is killed by one of our trappers, it becomes their property, to dispose of as they wish,” said Bo Boeringer, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries press secretary. “They can sell the hide and/or the meat, and that’s their compensation.”