Boy Hit By Ball At Game Improving

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- Doctors say brain swelling has subsided in a 4-year-old Ohio boy who was hit in the head by a foul ball at a minor league baseball game.

Luke Holko can move his arms and legs but can't talk. His mother, Nicole Holko of North Bloomfield, said Wednesday that when certain people speak to Luke, he appears to laugh or smile.

Doctors at Akron Children's Hospital say it's still unclear how well he'll recover.

Holko and his family had front-row seats near first base for a Sept. 2 doubleheader at the home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a short-season Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

Holko was hit as he sat in his father's lap and talked to his mother.

The ball fractured his skull. His parents have health insurance, but friends are organizing
fundraisers to help pay for costs that aren't covered.


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