Horror injuries of baby boy fighting for life after being bear hugged by mom’s boyfriend
The 10-month-old Missouri baby, who was hugged by his mother’s boyfriend, finally returned home after fighting for his life in the hospital for more than a month.
But the injuries he suffered will have a long-lasting impact on the rest of his life.
“He’s basically reset to a newborn,” said Tyler Burbridge, the child’s father KY3.
“As far as we know, he can’t see right now. He can’t sit up. He can barely lift his head. He will need a lot of physiotherapy.’
Baby Waylon, of Newton County, spent about a month and a half in critical condition in a Kansas City hospital, where he suffered a brain hemorrhage and bruising to his head as a result of child abuse allegedly inflicted by 28-year-old Jordan Boggess, who is dating. Waylon’s mother.
Ten-month-old Baby Waylon, from Newton County, Missouri, finally returned home after fighting for his life in the hospital for over a month – but returns with serious, long-term injuries
Waylon was hospitalized last September after his mother’s boyfriend allegedly threw him in the air, dropped him and then hugged him tightly until he stopped crying.
Medical personnel from Children’s Mercy told Newton County detectives that the child had “abusive head trauma” and other injuries.
The child was found to be aspirating and unable to breathe while sleeping and was placed on a ventilator upon arrival at the hospital, where he subsequently suffered brain swelling and multiple seizures.
Waylon’s devastating injuries came after he was placed in a baby sweater last September while his mother ran to the bathroom.
He was reportedly taken out and thrown into the air by Boggess, who failed to catch the child on the second throw due to claims of ‘sweaty hands’ – leading to his catastrophic fall to the ground.
“I was in the bathroom for maybe a minute at most and Jordan just came in screaming with Waylon in his arm,” said Bessie Burbridge, the child’s mother. Fox 5. “He was completely limp and not breathing.”
Burbridge said her boyfriend admitted that “Waylon hit the ground, which made him scream even more, so he hugged him until he stopped crying.”
Jordan Boggess, 28, the boyfriend of Waylon’s mother, is now behind bars on child abuse charges and is expected to appear in court in December
Waylon’s mother, Bessie Burbridge, now has a restraining order against Boggess, noting that she has known him for about four years, and never expected him to do something like this
“I’ve known Jordan for about four years now,” she added. “I never thought he could do something like this.”
But doctors and researchers looking into the case believe Waylon may have suffered from shaken baby syndrome, which can lead to serious brain damage, Fox 5 reported.
“He basically took my son’s life,” Waylon’s father told KY3. ‘He took my son’s future away. You don’t just throw a baby into the air.’
The family was told that Waylon had no brain activity during the first few days in the hospital, but began to show slight improvements by opening his eyes and pulling on his arm.
The baby’s cousin, Jaden Branham, said: ‘It’s very heartbreaking to walk in and see a child literally fighting for his life.
“These are children, and they deserve to live normal, carefree lives, without fear of the people they are with,” she added. ‘And unfortunately he wasn’t. He couldn’t do that.’
Christa Newman, the baby’s grandmother, said WBTV: ‘They said baby Waylon won’t be the same baby. If he makes it, he will be wheelchair bound. He won’t be able to talk. He won’t be able to feed himself.’
Waylon will now suffer from serious injuries to the brain and other areas, limited vision, seizures and muscle pain for the unforeseeable future.
Waylon’s father said, “As far as we know, he can’t see. He can’t sit up. He can barely lift his head
Doctors and researchers investigating the case believe Waylon may also have suffered from shaken baby syndrome
But during Waylon’s long stay in the hospital, he overcame all odds and recovered better than doctors previously expected.
“It’s definitely been a roller coaster of emotions,” Burbridge told Fox 5. “He’s proven them wrong every step of the way.”
Burbridge issued a statement after her son’s release, saying: ‘Waylon was released from hospital on October 24 and he went home with his mother. Our main focus is on Waylon’s recovery and him and his quest to get stronger,” KY3 reported.
Waylon’s mother also noted that he has since regained his mobility, Fox 5 reported.
Despite being well enough to leave the hospital, baby Waylon still has a long journey ahead: severe injuries to the brain and other areas, limited vision, seizures and cramped muscles.
He now has the great chance of a lifetime of physiotherapy.
Waylon’s father told KY3, “He basically took my son’s life. He took my son’s future away. You don’t just throw a baby in the air.”
Waylon is still unable to speak and has the option of spending the rest of his life in physical therapy to recover from the traumatic injuries.
Burbridge has since filed a restraining order against Boggess, who is now behind bars on child abuse charges.
The child’s family, including his father, have stayed with him throughout his care and have set up a fundraising campaign GoFundMe.com to help his father gain sole custody of Waylon.
Another one GoFundMe page was set up to support Waylon’s mother.
Waylon’s family members continue to support their loved one as they try to raise awareness about child abuse.
“My son, he can’t even speak for himself. Not just me, but my family and everyone fighting for him, we are his voice,” Burbridge told KY3.
Boggess is scheduled to appear at the Newton County Courthouse on December 13.