5-Year-Old Who ‘Loved Life’ Dies Inside Hyperbaric Chamber That Exploded During His Treatment

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A Michigan family waits for answers while they grieve the loss of their 5-year-old. The little one died when a hyperbaric chamber exploded while he was receiving medical treatment. There are no details about what led to the hyperbaric chamber explosion. No information was given about the boy’s treatment.

Family members had many good things to say about the boy, and it’s clear everyone loved him. There’s no word about how much information will be released about his death.

Police and firefighters were called to The Oxford Medical Center in Troy, Michigan, around 8 a.m. on January 31, 2025, CBS News reported. Upon arrival, they learned that a hyperbaric chamber had exploded, killing 5-year-old Thomas Cooper.

Thomas’ mother was at the facility with the little boy at the time of the explosion. She also sustained injuries to her arm.

Troy Fire Lieutenant Keith Young, shared that currently, investigators don’t know what caused the explosion, the Detroit Free Press reported. The Oxford Center spokesman Andrew Kistner said in a statement shared by the outlet that Friday was an “exceptionally difficult day for all of us.”

“The safety and well-being of the children we serve is our highest priority. Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place,” he said.

It’s not clear what kind of treatment Thomas was getting in the hyperbaric chamber. According to the Detroit Free Press, the medical center’s website states it provides therapy for children with conditions including autism, cancer, ADHD, autoimmune diseases, and multiple others.

CBS News reported that a hyperbaric chamber is used for oxygen therapy. It delivers pure oxygen to the body at a higher than normal air pressure. “A hyperbaric chamber contains 100% oxygen, which is up to five times the amount of oxygen in a normal room,” Lt. Young said. “The presence of such a high amount of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely combustible.”

The Cooper family created a GoFundMe to help cover final expenses. “He was the smartest and cutest kid that liked to zoom, zoom, zoom,” the fundraiser reads. “He asked to see pictures of germs, liked to know how things worked, he liked to make field journals and he had finally started adding facial features to his people drawings.”

GoFundMe

Thomas also “loved life,” according to his family.

“Before his passing, he asked for a Chinese red pocket money for the new year. He placed it underneath his pillow and declared ‘he’d have the best luck ever!’ The day of his passing was the day he was planning to spend his red pocket with his little brother.”

It also shared that the 5-year-old was a “smart, intelligent boy and his parents loved him how he was.”