Unfair

People often say that life isn't fair. My kids in particular frequently voice this concern, and I invariably agree with them. Life ISN'T fair, and it's never going to be, so you have to learn to roll with the punches. However, sometimes something happens that is so devastating that it makes it impossible to even wrap your mind around how very unfair life actually is. My extended family is in the middle of one of those experiences, and my heart breaks for them even as I write this.

My cousin Brittany's five-year-old son, Damien Baker (pictured above), landed in the PICU at Children's Hospital in Columbus Ohio about a week and a half ago with severe head trauma. He had extensive swelling in his brain and was unresponsive. At the time that his symptoms presented, he was in the care of Brittany's boyfriend, Mike Brown, who lived with Brittany and her children, and kept her children regularly while she worked. Brittany received a text message from Mike alerting her to the fact that Damien had said his head hurt, and then he vomited, and then he lost consciousness. Mike took the boy to Mike's father's home before calling 911. After a brief examination at the hospital in the town in which they live, Damien was life-flighted to Children's Hospital in Columbus where a team of neurologists and experts assumed responsibility for his care. Some of the experts involved specialize in child abuse cases, and it was determined that abuse was the cause of Damien's injuries. Mike Brown was subsequently charged and arrested as the suspected abuser in this case. He is currently in jail and bond is set at $500,000.

Damien never regained consciousness, and the family was told early in the process that it was very unlikely he would ever recover. He passed away yesterday at 4:53 p.m. He was deeply loved by his mother and father, his baby sister, his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as extended family and family friends, and he will be terribly missed.

I have no patience or compassion for anyone who would harm a child. I pray that the truth is established and that the perpetrator who caused these life-ending injuries to this child is held accountable and punished to the fullest extent of the law. I pray that Damien's death will not have been in vain; that other children will somehow be spared because of his story. And, I pray for comfort for all who knew him.