SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — On this Thanksgiving holiday, a Paradise Hills mother says she's thankful every day she still gets to hold her two-year-old son.
Kayte Blocker says every day is good because of her son, Akeel.
“Very thankful. Just very thankful that I have my time with him,” said Blocker.
I first met Blocker earlier this year. In late January, little Akeel was sleeping in a car seat in the back of an SUV driven by his father.
According to the CHP, a truck headed the wrong way on I-8 crashed into a concrete wall, showering debris onto the vehicles below.
The truck careened over the overpass, killing the driver.
One of the pieces of debris shattered a window of the SUV, striking Akeel in the head and causing two fractures. He was placed in a medically induced coma.
Two weeks later, an MRI revealed severe brain damage.
“There’s a hole in my heart,” said Blocker in a February interview.
A few days later, Akeel was removed from the coma, and a few days after that, he started smiling.
Doctors say Akeel's right frontal lobe was impacted. A plastic plate was later inserted across part of his skull.
Blocker is still learning about the impact on Akeel's life nine months later.
Doctors have said Akeel will remain mostly non-verbal. He gets headaches and has insomnia. His immune system is weakened, and he’s permanently incontinent. His motor skills are delayed.
“He really doesn't run. He tries to run,” said Blocker.
But despite the challenges, Blocker says Akeel astounds her every day.
“He's a fighter. Every day, he does something to show me he’s fighting … He gets frustrated if he can't do something, but he keeps doing it … I don't see anything stopping his flow. God has blessed us, waking up another day and having our son here,” said Blocker.
Fundraising campaigns have been set up to help Akeel's family with ongoing medical and other expenses.
