How 2 Babies with Blades in Skulls Were Saved by Surgeons After Mother Stabbed Them
When you think of the person who is supposed to care most deeply for a child, you think of a mother. There’s nothing quite like a mother’s love for her children: It can heal wounds beyond the reach of even the most skilled surgeons.
But when a mother is the person violently attacking her children, the situation is not only sad, it’s terrifying and upsetting. Mothers are meant to nurture, not destroy, but one mentally ill mother nearly took the lives of her two sons back in April.
Juan Pedro, 20 months old, and Guillermo Timoteo Nino-Brown, only 8 months old, were savagely attacked by their mother with household tools. The younger boy was not as seriously injured as his brother, but Juan was in a coma.
According to USA Today, by the time they were rescued and taken to the hospital, they had blades embedded in their skulls.
Dr. Narlin Beaty, the surgeon who worked with the boys, said their case was unusual. “You don’t see injuries like this that survive transport to the hospital very frequently,” he said.
“I have done endovascular work on a child before, but never in a traumatic setting like this.”
Juan had been attacked with a knife, and Guillermo with scissors, and the damage was extensive. Had this been just a decade ago, they would have been lost causes.
“Maybe 20 years ago, maybe 10 years ago, you’d have seen these injuries and you’d have thought to yourself, ‘These can’t be helped,’” the surgeon said.
The time came to attend to Juan, who had the blade piercing several major arteries. Removing the knife could mean a quick death, but the doctors had done as much as they could to turn the balance in the toddler’s favor.
But grandma Gail Brown was on hand, and she knew what was possible. A nurse at that hospital for 40 years, she had seen a lot of lives pass, and she knew what had to be done next.
Her request was simple: “Please baptize the child.”
They paused, brought in a pastor, and had the boy baptized and prayed over. Then it was time to remove the knife.
“It was like the moment of truth — whether he was going to live or die. And I don’t think anybody knew. We had done everything medically possible,” the surgeon said through tears.
He made it. Somehow, both boys pulled through their procedures and are doing much better now. The surgeon has his suspicions on why these two, who could have so easily died, are still here.
“It was a miracle that these kids lived. Even with the best care they didn’t have to survive,” he admitted. “And so, definitely, medicine played a role. And I feel like there was a higher power that was there to help.”
“I think something magical happened that day. This is one of the days that you’re reminded why you do this.”
The boys’ grandmother is elated her two grandsons pulled through. She’s helping raise funds for them so relatives can care for them, meanwhile, their mother is in a state hospital.
“I still bought my lotto tickets,” said their grandmother, “but I won the lottery on April 24. They lived.”
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