I would like to introduce you to Brayden.
Original Story 3/13
My son Brayden suffered from shaken baby syndrome at the hands of his father on March 6, 2009. His father was watching him while I was the the ER with my other two children or their asthma problems. Upon returning home I found his dad standing over him and looked down to see my baby who just turned four months old that day was having a seizure. I am very familiar with seizures because I have a handicap brother who had seizures my entire life. I called 911 and held my little baby close to my ear because he was barely breathing. WHile on the phone with 911 he stopped breathing in my arms. His body was so lifeless I will never forget the images of my son laying limp in my arms. I blew breath into his little mouth to keep him breathing until the paramedics arrived. They took him by ambulance to childrens mercy hospital. At the er they discovered upon doing a cat scan of my infants head that he had to subdural hemotomas. One old and one new. (also known as brain bleeds) The old one was estimated at about a month old so he was three mths and the second was done that day. They told me that my son had a very slim chance at survival and that if he did live he would have cerebal palsey or be a vegetable. They had to insert a stunt in his brain and drain 5cc’s of blood so they could relieve the pressure. A long story short my son did recover 100% by the grace of god. And nothing else the opthamologists were baffled and couldn’t believe that he had recovered so well and their was no sign at all on his cat scan of his previous trauma People say I am lucky and yes I am. But I am still in pain every day. I cannot seem to get over or move past what my baby went through. I feel as if my heart is bleeding. And their is not way to fix it. We are finally going to trial against his father in june. I hope this will bring me some closure for my heart to begin to heal once again. My x is being charged with a class a felony assault in the first degree which in Missouri carries a sentence of 10-20years to life. The reason he is being charged so severely is because he confessed to me what he did to our son and I secretly recorded his confession and gave it to the detective. So instead of a class c felony child abuse he got a class a which is what all these monsters should get. THanks for listening I have been hoping that speaking to others who went through similar situations as I have will help ease my pain as well just to know that someone understands !!! Yesterday my son who wasn’t suppose to recover or succeed at anything had his pre-k evaluation and he is advanced. I am so thankful to god and everyone who prayed for us during this difficult time. Keep praying trial begins June 11, 2013!!! We are going to trial the prosecutor offered him 15 yrs which he declined so we are going for 30 in trial. god bless
Update 2020:
Brayden is doing very well and is extremely happy. He has two parents who love him endlessly. Only permanent issue he is dealing with is blindness. The trial didn’t go well at all. The father was let off on all charges even though he wrote a detailed confession letter of how he threw our baby. As well as a tape recorded confession. Our justice system is a joke when it comes to kids. However, he did agree to relinquish rights.
I would like to introduce you to Wil.
Meet Wil
So I’m about to get really real with y’all. Today is April 1st, which means it’s Child Abuse Awareness month and Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention month as well. I’m sure most of you are thinking “where’s the trigger warning?” Well there is none. This is raw. This is real.
We see commercials on tv all the time talking about “standing up for animals” and “animals can’t speak for themselves”, well guess what? Neither can babies. I am bringing awareness to this because it is so serious.
My little 27 weeker was such a fighter but at only 13 months old he couldn’t fight against his abuser. He was shaken, starved weighing only 13lbs at 13mos, had a bedsore on his tailbone, skull fractures, bilateral retinal hemorrhages, brain bleeds, broken arm and broken nose. But here is the issue. His abuser didn’t serve any time in prison-“they can’t find her”. If she would have tortured an adult I’m sure they would have looked harder for her. She didn’t even visit him in the hospital or go to any court hearings. There is no “child Abuse offender” list and nothing to stop her from doing it again to another innocent child. But despite him doing well, he will forever have complications due to her horrible actions. She doesn’t worry about impulse issues, behavior issues, therapy, appointments, etc. She doesn’t have to fight hard for everything to make his life the best life possible. She doesn’t go to sleep wondering if the impulse and behavior issues from being shaken will always be a worry/concern as he grows older. I love Wil and can’t imagine life without him. As a friend put it, his worst day was also his best because he was removed from the situation he was born into.
The month of April will bring awareness to situations like ours. Maybe implementing stricter laws or databases for offenders. Maybe ways to slow down the number of abuse cases by bringing awareness.
So, if you dont mind, sharing the little blue ribbon, wearing blue, or putting a blue pinwheel outside, and bringing awareness to the world.
Make Child Abuse Prevention Viral. Because being a child shouldn’t hurt.
I would like to introduce you to Deleysa.
Meet Deleysa
Original Story 1/31/15
Sharing a story of an SBS survivor as told by this toddlers aunt Claudia Valadez; in a letter she writes:
Deleysa Marin born in Weslaco Tx Dec. 19Th 2012. At 4 months of age she was violently shaken causing her to stop breathing. According to EMS she had stopped breathing for at least 20 mins before they arrived there. I do not know how they got her to start breathing. Apparently her dad had been giving her CPR and thats what helped a little. Deleysas mom (my sister) was a senior in highschool and was doing finals that day when she got that call that every parent dreads. She was airlifted to Mcallen tx where we were told if she was to stay in that hospital the only thing we could do was wait for her to pass because the drs there could not do anything to help her. Decisions where taken and she was transported to Texas childrens hospital in Houston Tx by the kangaroo team. Drs never tried to do anything to help the brain swelling go down drs kept telling us that the best thing to do was to disconnect her because the quality of life she was going to have was not worth living for. She spent nearly two months at this hospital and these two months we had a whole army of prayer warriors praying day and night for Deleysa. Honestly God heard our prayers Deleysa is alive because of all our prayers because drs at this hospital gave up on Deleysa. Actually they never even tried. Deleysais 2 now and is blind and has a g tube. She cant walk she cant talk and she cant do things any 2 yr old does. But she can smile…and her smile is so big it can brighten anyone’s day we continue to pray for a full recovery because we know that God never leaves His miracles half way…..Deleysa is a living testimony of Gods power and love for us. I know most of you will want to know who did this to Deleysa but that is something we prefer not to talk about. All i can say is that it was not her mom (she was in school when Deleysa was hurt) and that the person who did this unfortunately did not face the law. But we are more than grateful with our Lord that Deleysa is alive. Thankyou all in advance for your support.
Update 1/4/16
Deleysa is now 3 years old as a result of her injuries she is blind, can’t walk or talk, she requires a feeding tube for nutrition, severe scoliosis and a wheelchair to get around. Although Deleysa can not do anything a typically 3 year old can do she is still the light of her family and her smile radiates pure love. The person who caused this damage to Deleysa never faced any criminal charges however, the person is also no longer in Deleysa’s life. She is now safe from harm. Deleysa is making improvements slowly. Although she still is dependent on a feeding tube she is taking some baby food by mouth. Deleysa receives therapy 3 times a week to help her maintain her skills and potential improve.
Update 2020:
Deleysa has become more vocal and more alert with her surroundings. She will be having her Kinder Graduation in May. She is able to cope more with new things and tolerate changes better. She is healthy and working on meeting goals.
I would like to introduce you to Averik.
As told by his mom Miranda
August 14 th 2011 was when my whole world came to a stop. I was at work and Averik was at home with his biological father (who will remain nameless). I came home from work at 4pm. I had worked Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday night and again Sunday morning. While I was at work I had received a text from his father that Averik wasn’t feeling good. I honestly thought nothing of it I figured he had gas or an upset tummy. So when I got home I was very shocked to see Averik laying on the couch moaning when I went to him his eyes kept rolling back and closing, his arms and legs were limp, and every time I’d touch him his moan would get worse and louder. I instantly called my mother who lived around the corner because this being my first child I didn’t know what to do. When she got there she told me to call the paramedics. They arrived and did an assessment they said he would be fine but if it made me more comfortable I could take him to the er to get checked a second time. Either I could drive him or we could call an ambulance. We lived not very far from the hospital so I figured I’d get to the er before the ambulance would probably even get to my house. We walked into the er and when they called us to have him weighed as soon as we set him on the scale and they heard his moan they knew right away something serious was wrong and immediately took us to a room. The doctor rushed in and tried to get his information but we couldn’t keep him awake in order for her to look at him. They took him across the hall asked us for permission to put him in a medical induced coma in order to get a tube down his throat so they could help him breath. Of course we gave the ok. They had us give him a kiss and wait in the hall way. I remember it seeming just like the movies in the blink of an eye there were a million doctors and nurses surrounding him on a table with the huge over head light. The social worker came to us and asked if we wanted to call any family. I called my mother and step father. They got to the hospital before the doctors ran any tests or were able to do anything with him.
Sitting in the hall waiting to hear what was going on they said they were taking him to get xrays and a ct scan. We waited by the xrays door for him to come out. I asked his biological father if anything had happened he kept swearing up and down nothing happened. Next thing I know the doctor came out saying Averik was being moved to surgery. I didn’t know or understand what was going on. Why did he need surgery? They said they would let us know before they took him in. The other doctor came out and told us Averik had suffered three broken ribs bleeding on his brain and bruises on his stomach and back he also had a bite mark on his leg. They sent us to a waiting room and I just sat there in shock while his father continued to say he didn’t do anything. Finally the social worker came in and told us they had already moved Averik to surgery and she would take us upstairs. As soon as we stepped off the elevator I saw two cops and detectives. Not really letting anything click because of being in shock my mom step dad and myself sat in the waiting room and his father sat in the hall. A different doctor came and got us and took his father and I into the picu and told us we had to sign a paper stating that we wanted them to go through with the surgery knowing that Averik may not make it through.
That doctor then took us in a room with a bunch of computer screens. He sat us down and pulled up a file on the screens it was of averik’s xrays and ct scan. Then he told us the three broken ribs had calcium build up on them showing they were done a month before. I repeatedly asked what? How? How would we not realize he had broken ribs. He had never cried when picking him up and he had all of his doctor check ups on time and they never said anything. Also he had just gone four days before to his four month check up and was given a100% healthy bill of health. Next thing that happened was they told us to go back and sit in the waiting room and wait. When we walked out of the picu the detectives asked me to step into a room with them. They questioned me and then they brought in a cps worker and she questioned me. After an hour of questions they told me I could go back to my family and they were going to question his father. By the time I left the room to go back to my family my father step mom and brother were there. I sat down and in two seconds (at least that’s what it felt like) the detectives came in and asked me to go with the cps worker to our house so we could meet a crime scene investigater. I had to leave my son in surgery and go back to the place detectives were telling me he was hurt so badly. By this time they had taken his father down to the police
I would like to introduce you to Zachary.
Meet Zachary
Original Story 9/17/12
This is my son Zachary, now currently 4, Zachary was shaken when he was 2 months old by his father while I was at work. He was in ICU for 2 weeks and was not supposed to survive. Due to being shaken he is not partially blind in his right eye and developmentally delayed. When he was admitted into the hospital he has two massive subdural hemotomas severe retinal hemoraging and a fractured rib. Everyday that I wake up to his beautiful face I know I am truly blessed and his purpose is greater than I could ever imagine. Zachary is doing so much better then anyone ever expected, he still sees a physical therapist, speech therapist and OT, he is currently in ESE pre-k but everyday is progression and we refuse to give up. He is my miracle and I couldnt ask for a more wonderful child!
Update 2020:
Zachary is now 11 and turning 12 soon, he is the sweetest most caring child ever. We still have our struggles but he learns something new everyday, enjoys playing with his little brother and watching you tube videos like any other kid these days. He continues to amaze me every day with how far he has come.
Stop Shaken Baby Syndrome Inc. 