Two years later, Baby Duke continues his long path to recovery from Oso slide
Mar 22, 2016, 5:41 PM
Baby Duke continues to recover from the Oso slide that claimed more than 40 lives two years ago March 22. (Contributed)
(Contributed)
It’s two years later, but the scars from the deadly Oso landslide remain with those who continue to deal with the aftermath.
The landslid wiped out a community as it roared down a hillside above the north fork of the Stillaguamish River. It is the deadliest landslide in U.S. history.
Photos of Oso after deadly mudslide
Duke Suddarth, who became known as “Baby Duke,” then five months old, was among a few that survived the tragedy.
Suddarth has been working through injuries since the tragedy on March 22, 2014.
“I begged God not to take him from me,” mother Amanda Suddarth recently told The Arlington Times.
Suddarth says her son’s skull is still fractured and he has a loss of peripheral vision on his left side. His skull still has an opening about the size of a quarter.
Now 2 years old, the injuries prevent Duke from playing as hard as other young kids his age. He is expected to have another surgery this spring.
As those impacted by the slide continue to recover, there’s good news for Baby Duke. The Arlington Times reports he has an appointment with a surgical team this spring to hopefully fix his skull once and for all.
