Wadena boy remains in critical condition

WADENA -- A 7-year-old Wadena boy pulled Thursday from the Wadena Municipal Pool suffered from an undiagnosed pre-existing medical condition, Wadena Police Chief Bruce Uselman said today.

Uselman said he spoke with the doctors at Minneapolis Children's Hospital on Friday. The doctors are treating the boy, whose name was not released today pending notification of all his family members. Uselman said the doctors told him the boy was suffering from a medical condition dealing with the brain and that was primarily the reason the child collapsed.

The boy was with a kid's club through the school that was swimming at the pool. Three lifeguards were on hand. Uselman said the lifeguards responded promptly and were effective in cardiopulmonary resuscitation along with a Wadena Sheriff's Department deputy who was nearby and arrived just moments after the 911 call.

Uselman said the family was unaware of the boy's medical condition until the accident. The last update the Wadena Police Department heard was that the boy remained in critical condition.