Hamilton boy hospitalized in Cuba arrives in Toronto, being treated at SickKids hospital

Nicole Anitnello and her son, Cole Antinello, have arrived back in Canada after he fell ill on vacation and had to spend a week at a Cuban hospital.

The family arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport at approximately 2:15 a.m. Saturday and Antinello said she immediately brought her son the Hospital for Sick Children.

“Cole has been going through some testing… He’s on IV and he’s done blood work,” Antinello told Global News.

“We are waiting on results from that. They are going to monitor him and they are going to do other tests as well.”

READ MORE: Ontario boy hospitalized in Cuba receives medical clearance to fly home

The seven-year-old began exhibiting flu-like symptoms near the end of his family’s vacation and just as the family had boarded a plane back to Toronto, officials noticed how ill Cole appeared and the family had to get off the plane.

“I was thinking I better do what they say because if something were to happen in the air, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself,” Antinello said.

“They pushed on his belly in one spot, he said, ‘Ow’ and the next thing you knew they were rushing him off to surgery.”

READ MORE: Ontario family stranded in Cuba after son falls ill on vacation

Cole was taken to hospital in Holguin, a city in eastern Cuba and had his appendix removed.

Antinello said her insurance company advised her to do what the doctor prescribed, but she said she doubts if Cole was given the correct prognosis.

“I don’t think he had appendicitis. I had it a few years ago and it was very, very painful,” she said.

After the surgery, she said she had to wait for medical clearance for her son to go home. His lengthy recovery has resulted in the family staying in the island nation for nearly a week longer than anticipated.

With files from Shallima Maharaj