The 10-month-old baby in Missouri who was bearhugged by his mother’s boyfriend finally returned home after fighting for his life for more than a month in the hospital.
But the injuries he suffered will leave a long lasting impact on the rest of his life.
‘He has basically been reset to a newborn,’ Tyler Burbridge, the infant’s father, told KY3.
‘As of right now that we know of, he cannot see. He can’t sit up. He can barely lift his head up. He’s going to have to have a lot of physical therapy.’
Baby Waylon, of Newton County, spent around a month and a half in critical condition at a Kansas City hospital where he suffered a brain bleed and bruising to his head as a result of child abuse allegedly imposed by Jordan Boggess, 28, who is dating Waylon’s mother.
Ten-month-old Baby Waylon, from Newton County, Missouri, finally returned home after fighting for his life for more than a month in the hospital – but returns with severe, long-lasting injuries
Waylon was admitted to the hospital this past September after his mother’s boyfriend allegedly tossed him in the air, dropped him and then tightly bearhugged him until he stopped crying
Medical staff at Children’s Mercy told Newton County Detectives that the child had ‘abusive head trauma’ as well as other injuries.
The infant was found to be aspirating and unable to breathe while he slept, and was placed on a ventilator upon arriving to the hospital where he then suffered from brain swelling and multiple seizures.
Waylon’s devastating injuries came after he was placed in a baby jumper while his mother ran to the bathroom this past September.
He was allegedly taken out and tossed into the air by Boggess, who failed to catch the child on the second toss due to claims of ‘sweaty hands’ – leading to his catastrophic plummet to the ground.
‘I was only in the bathroom for maybe a minute at the most, and Jordan just came in screaming with Waylon in his arm,’ Bessie Burbridge, the child’s mother, told Fox 5. ‘He was completely limp and not breathing.’
Burbridge said that her boyfriend confessed that ‘Waylon hit the ground, and it made him scream more so then he bear hugged him until he stopped crying’.
Jordan Boggess, 28, Waylon’s mother’s boyfriend, is now behind bars for child abuse and expected to appear in court in December
Waylon’s mother, Bessie Burbridge, now has a restraining order against Boggess
‘I’ve known Jordan for about four years,’ she added. ‘I never thought he could do something like this.’
But doctors and investigators on the case believe that 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. You don’t just toss a baby into the air.’
The family was informed that Waylon had no brain activity during his first few days in the hospital, but started showing slight improvements by opening his eyes and jerking his arm.
The baby’s cousin, Jaden Branham, said: ‘It’s very gut-wrenching walking in and seeing a child literally have to fight for their life.
‘These are children, and they deserve to live normal, carefree lives, not having to worry about being scared of who they’re with,’ she added. ‘And unfortunately, he was not. He was not able to do that.’
Christa Newman, the baby’s grandmother, told WBTV: ‘They said baby Waylon will not be the same baby. If he makes it, he’ll be wheelchair-bound. He will not be able to talk. He will not be able to feed himself.’
Waylon will now suffer from severe injuries to the brain and other areas, limited vision, seizures and muscle tightness for the unforeseeable future
Waylon’s father said: ‘As of right now that we know of, he cannot see. He can’t sit up. He can barely lift his head up’
Doctors and investigators on the case believe that Waylon may have suffered from shaken baby syndrome as well
But throughout Waylon’s long hospital stay, he has beaten the odds and has recovered more than what doctors had previously anticipated.
‘It’s definitely been a roller coaster of emotions,’ Burbridge told Fox 5. ‘He’s been proving them wrong every step of the way.’
Burbridge made a statement after her son’s release, which said: ‘Waylon was discharged from the hospital on October 24 and he went home with his mom. Our main focus is on Waylon and him recovering and him striving to get stronger,’ KY3 reported.
Waylon’s mother also noted that he has since been able to regain his mobility, Fox 5 reported.
Despite being well enough to leave the hospital, baby Waylon has a long road of suffering ahead – severe injuries to the brain and other areas, limited vision, seizures and muscle tightness.
He’s now left with the strong possibility of a lifetime of physical therapy.
Waylon’s father told KY3: ‘He basically took my son’s life. He took my son’s future. You don’t just toss a baby into the air’
Waylon is still unable to speak and is left with the possibility 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 charges of child abuse.
The child’s family, including his father, have stayed with him throughout his care and set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe.com to help his father get sole custody of Waylon.
Another GoFundMe page has been set up in support of Waylon’s mother.
Family members of Waylon are continuing to stand with their loved one as they attempt to raise awareness of child abuse.
‘My son, he can’t even talk for himself. Not only I, but my family and everybody who is fighting for him, we are his voice,’ Burbridge told KY3.
Boggess is set to appear at the Newton County Courthouse on December 13.
