A mother is warning parents on the seriousness of head injuries after her baby fell off a bed and suffered brain damage.
It appeared that the baby was fine after the fall, but the parents did not know that the incident was the start of a grueling ordeal for their family.
Baby Falls Off Bed And Hits Head, Suffers Brain Damage
Paige Ferguson, 26 years old, and her fiancé, Blake Linton, 31 years old, were at a friend's house in their hometown of Trumann, Arkansas, on March 17. Ferguson decided to lay down her infant son, Colton, on a queen-sized bed that is just 2 feet high in a nearby bedroom. The baby was surrounded by pillows.
Moments later, Paige heard a loud thud. Blake rushed to Colton to check up on him, and sure enough, he fell to the floor. The baby had a bump on his head, but he was crying and alert and even smiled. It appeared that Colton was fine, but his parents had him evaluated to be sure.
Paige and Blake took Colton to the hospital, and he was smiling and cooing for the entire trip. However, when they got there, the baby started vomiting, and doctors immediately gave him a CT scan. After receiving the results, Colton was picked up by a helicopter and flown to Memphis for treatment.
The worried parents found out that Colton suffered a fractured skull.
"My heart was shattered. I'm still trying to put the pieces back together," Paige said.
The skull fracture, however, was just the start. Half of the baby's total blood volume bled into his brain, resulting in cardiac arrest. There was a chance that Colton will not survive, or that if he lives, may never walk or talk or be delayed.
Colton stayed in the hospital for a month, undergoing another brain surgery and multiple blood transfusions. The baby was able to come home, defying the odds, but he was no longer the same Colton. He developed severe epilepsy, takes medications to prevent seizures, and also eats through a feeding tube.
According to Paige, doctors expect Colton to have cerebral palsy when he grows older and that he will struggle with walking and talking.
Mother Warns Parents On Seriousness Of Head Injuries
"I need people to realize the seriousness of a head injury," Paige wrote in a viral Facebook post. She urges parents to have their child immediately checked if they take a hit to their head.
Fortunately for Paige and Blake, Colton has shown significant improvements since the March incident. From the possibility of death or falling into a vegetative state, the baby is smiling at his parents.
The future remains unclear for Colton, but Paige and Blake will be with him every step of the way during his recovery.
