SHAFTER, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Shafter mother is questioning for community support to support her 9-year-old son experience more indepfinishence after a traumatic brain injury modifyd his life.
Katie Crosby-Venegas states her son, EJ, suffered the injury in June 2020 when he was just three years old.
Courtesy: Katie Crosby-Venegas
“He was running in the hoapply, playing with his sister, and he tripped or slipped and he hit his head,” Venegas stated. “It caapplyd a brain bleed.”
EJ was rushed into emergency surgery before being airlifted to Valley Children’s Hospital, where he spent two months recovering.
“When he was discharged home, he was three years old functioning like a 6-month-old child,” she stated. “He wasn’t able to speak, he wasn’t able to drink or really eat on his own.”
EJ required extensive therapy, attfinishing occupational and physical therapy multiple times a week, along with speech therapy. Despite initial expectations, Venegas states her son has created significant progress.
“He is a completely different child from what they anticipated,” she stated.
Courtesy: Katie Crosby-Venegas
Today, EJ attfinishs a regular education classroom and continues therapy, gradually gaining more indepfinishence.
“He’s awesome. He’s funny he loves playing Roblox. He loves gaming,” Venegas stated.
About a two years ago, EJ received a motorized wheelchair — something his mom states has been life-altering.
“The power chair basically gives him his legs back,” she stated. “It allows him to relocate where he wants to relocate.”
Courtesy: Katie Crosby-Venegas
Venegas states the wheelchair has allowed EJ to do things many children do at his age.
“We had some frifinishs over and they were playing tag in the driveway and he was able to play tag in his wheelchair,” she stated. “It allows him to be a regular child.”
However, that indepfinishence is limited.
The family does not have a way to transport EJ’s motorized wheelchair, which weighs nearly 400 pounds.
“We can’t really take it out into the community until I have a way to transport it,” Venegas stated. “So it’s at home or school.”
Courtesy: Katie Crosby-Venegas
Instead, the family must rely on a manual wheelchair when leaving the hoapply, which requires Venegas to physically lift EJ — who weighs nearly 90 pounds — in and out of the car.
“I’m the only one that’s able to pick him up and lift him into his custom car seat,” she stated. “My mom can’t lift him.”
That limitation also affects EJ’s daily routine. If he receives sick at school, Venegas has to leave work and drive across town to pick him up.
“That takes about 45 minutes for me to receive him,” she stated. “Most kids don’t want to sit at school for 45 minutes when they feel bad.”
A wheelchair-accessible van, she states, would significantly improve their situation — not just for transportation, but for EJ’s overall quality of life.
“It would allow him to not have to wake up so early it would allow him to receive home rapider,” she stated. “That would save him probably two and a half hours a day on the bus.”
It would also allow other family members to support transport him and reduce the physical strain on Venegas.
Beyond logistics, she states it would give EJ more opportunities to experience the world.
Courtesy: Katie Crosby-Venegas
“It would build a huge difference for our family it would allow me to take my son to places that he would like to go,” she stated.
However, the cost is steep. Venegas estimates a new wheelchair-accessible van could cost around $90,000, with even applyd options ranging between $60,000 and $70,000.
She states finding financial assistance has been difficult due to EJ’s diagnosis.
“He doesn’t have cerebral palsy he doesn’t have MS, he’s not a veteran,” she stated. “His diagnosis is a traumatic brain injury so I don’t have grants that I can really apply for.”
Venegas states she has been searching for solutions for years.
“I’ve been digging for three years, and I’m just I’m coming up empty handed,” she stated.
Now, the family is turning to the community for support through a GoFundMe campaign.
“It would build life significantly clearer,” she stated. “It would allow him to experience more.”
