In the current times, mothers are as busy as can be.
Many new moms only get a little time off from work after giving birth. They, therefore, have no choice but to hire a babysitter to help them out with their babies.
Unfortunately, not all babysitters mean well and there’s always a possibility of something going horribly wrong when you leave your children in their hands.
A mother of a toddler had such a terrible experience and her toddler was expected to die after being abused by his babysitter. She is now speaking out so others can prevent the same thing from happening to them.
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Ashley England left her seven-month-old son, Landon, with his babysitter.
Unfortunately, he was thrown to the ground on his head by his babysitter and he was terribly injured. He suffered severe head trauma and was expected to lose his sight, his sense of hearing and he would never move again – and at one point, doctors thought he will not survive.
Ashley’s worst nightmare was happening before her eyes. She could not believe that someone could do such a horrid and potentially fatal thing to her baby. But Landon, from Fort Collins, Colorado, is making a slow but steady recovery.
The little boy has put up a good fight and defied doctors’ expectations. His mother hopes that the now 18-month-old will make a full recovery.
Ashley says she wants her story to be a warning to all mothers of the dangers that can come with hiring babysitters. There is always the risk of abuse to children from these babysitters.
She expects that they can be vigilant and prevent a similar fate as hers from happening to their children. As much as babysitters are important, parents must be very careful. Choosing the wrong babysitter can literally endanger a child’s life.
It was back in June 2016, when a family friend of the England’s, 24-year-old Caleb Collins, was watching Landon, who had just turned seven months old. He made an emergency call to the Fort Collins Police to make a report that the little baby had accidentally slipped from his arms and fallen to the ground. Police and an ambulance rushed to the scene and Landon was rushed to the hospital immediately.
But Caleb changed his story later during a police interview. He confessed that he had been playing a game on his Play Station 4 when Landon had crawled towards the game console and pulled off one of the cables. Caleb was instantly furious and in preventing the game console from falling, he ‘forcibly threw’ little Landon behind him – who flipped in the air before breaking the fall with his head, according to court documents.
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The child was severely injured. Caleb was arrested and charged with attempted murder and child abuse by causing serious bodily injury and, last month received an 18-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, little Landon was fighting for his life.
Yet his abuser would be out of prison in less than 2 years. It seemed very unfair to everyone but the court had made its decision.
Landon’s parents, Ashley and Stephen, were informed by doctors that their son was breathing but unconscious and had severe head trauma. The diagnosis was heartbreaking. Landon had suffered a fractured skull and brain bleeding in the frontal lobe area. His parents were crushed and prayed for a miracle.
Court records state that the boy’s injuries were so severe that there was no likelihood of him ever seeing, hearing or having any purposeful movement.
According to Ashley at one point doctors did not expect Landon to survive his injuries. They even proposed the option of withdrawing his care. But the family refused even to consider the option. They would give Landon a fighting chance. They could not let him go without trying everything possible.
They decided to soldier on and get Landon all the care he could need. Their resilience was rewarded as their son started making a slow but sure recovery. It has been a long and emotionally draining journey but Landon, who is 18-moths old now, should be walking and talking. He has come a long way from being the boy doctors thought would not survive his injuries. His parents are grateful for the far he has come and will not lose hope.
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Ashley admits that Landon is not there yet but the progress he is making is incredible. In fact, it is miraculous.
Landon can roll and babble and he is even beginning to see after being blind for several months. His parents are thankful. They had faith in their little boy and now he is recovering. Ashley chose to stay home to become a full-time caregiver to her dear son. She wanted to give all her attention to Landon’s care.
In this period, she has formed a deep friendship with Fort Collins police detective Jacklyn Shaklee. Shaklee told KHOU, that she feels so connected to the family and she still finds it hard to wrap her head around what happened. She said she might never quite understand it and her heart is quite taken over. She wants to be part of Landon’s family. She wants to support them as long as she can as Landon is on his recovery journey.
Ashley and Shaklee are hoping that speaking out about Child Abuse and telling Landon’s story will help ignite a conversation about its harsh reality and will lead to parents learning how to prevent it. Many people stick their head in the sand and think stuff like this doesn’t happen.
But Shaklee says it definitely does. A lot of people want to trust their children’s sitters so that they won’t worry, but it is very important to be vigilant. Parents must be careful of the people they leave their children with. Landon’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover medical expenses. Out of a $10,000 goal, $7,335 has been raised so far.