The two-year-old boy who fell from the 15th floor of the Enclave Apartments in White Oak in May is healing but faces a long road to full recovery.
T.J., who celebrated his third birthday Monday, broke his femur, lacerated his liver, tore ligaments in his neck and bruised his lungs. He has undergone surgery.
He lives with his paternal grandmother and her wife in Prince Frederick in southern Maryland. He was visiting his mother and maternal grandmother when the accident occurred.
His paternal grandmother’s wife, Whitley Thompson, spoke to MCM about how T.J. is faring.
“He’s a happy go lucky child,” she said. “He loves Bluey, construction vehicles and Peppa Pig. He likes to sing. He likes to dance. He’s a really happy boy.”
What he doesn’t like is being confined to a wheelchair or walker as he continues to get better.
“He doesn’t understand why he can’t go down and walk. He can’t walk on that leg,” Thompson said, adding the whole incident “is still very traumatizing.” She and her wife still do not like to let T.J. out of their sight.
The accident has also been very expensive. There are medical and physical therapy bills and transportation expenses to and from appointments. In addition, there’s the cost of a walker and bed rails, so he won’t climb out of bed,” Thompson said.
Thompson set up a Go Fund Me site that’s raised $2,260. On the site, she wrote, “By what can only be described as a miracle, he survived — but his road to recovery will be long, painful, and expensive.”
