Before his tragic passing, Thomas Cooper loved to sing about how much he adored his ‘Mama’
Warning: This article discusses child loss, which may be distressing for some readers.
A heartbreaking tragedy unfolded when a five-year-old boy lost his life in a devastating accident inside a hyperbaric chamber that caught fire.
Thomas Cooper was undergoing oxygen therapy at The Oxford Center in Troy, Michigan, when an unexpected explosion turned the facility into an inferno.
The incident occurred just before 8 a.m. on January 31, leaving his family in unimaginable grief.
Thomas Cooper was tragically killed when a hyperbaric chamber exploded with him inside it
Family handout
His mother, Annie Cooper, who lives in Royal Oak—a suburb of Detroit located about 15 minutes from Troy—did everything she could to save her son.
She rushed into the flames, desperately trying to pull him to safety, but despite her efforts, she was unable to rescue him.
The family’s attorney, James Harrington from Feiger Law, spoke about the harrowing moments and the injuries Annie suffered while trying to free her little boy.
In an interview with NBC News, he revealed: “She has significant burns on her arm, and that was done during a rescue attempt to try to get her child out of the burning flames. She was trying and trying to get him out and was unsuccessful.”
“She does have visible burns. But the real problem for her is going to be the emotional trauma.”
To help with the expenses following Thomas’ tragic passing, a GoFundMe page was created for the family.
However, his mother, who appeared to have set up the fundraiser, later decided to suspend it.
The page’s description provided a glimpse into Thomas’ bright and loving personality.
It mentioned how much he enjoyed singing, often repeating, “I love mama, I love mama, I love mama so very much,” and saying, “my momma is the best in the whole world.”
Thomas loved to sing about how much he loved his ‘Mama’ Annie Cooper
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“He was the smartest and cutest kid that liked to zoom, zoom, zoom. 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,” the post read.
It continued to describe his boundless energy and curiosity: “His favorite thing to do is ‘super sonic mode.’ Run as fast as humanly possibly. He had nature school last year and ran, jumped and rolled down hills. He loved mud. Loved to stomp on ice. Loved his mama and daddy so much.”
And his love for games and adventure: “Minecraft was his life. He loved all the characters and the YouTube channel with mikey and JJ. He loved Mario. He loved to dress as Mario and his brother dressed as Luigi. They were the best of friends.”
Little Thomas loved dressing up as Mario and playing with his little brother – who was his best friend
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The Oxford Center, which describes its services as taking a “comprehensive approach to wellness” by combining hyperbaric oxygen therapy with other treatments, has temporarily closed in the wake of the tragic accident.
On the day of the fire, January 31, the center released an official statement, saying: “This is an exceptionally difficult day for all of us.”
“As law enforcement officials have shared, at our location in Troy, Michigan this morning, a fire started inside of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The child being treated in that chamber did not survive and the child’s mother was injured.”
“The safety and wellbeing 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.”
They also stated: “We do not know why or how this happened and will participate in all of the investigations that now need to take place.”
Resources are available for anyone coping with grief. If you need support, you can contact GrieveWell at (734) 975-0238 or reach out via email at [email protected].