Don't Fight With Branches. They Will Win.

Shauna Shahangian

I'm a terrible person. I should not have laughed when I heard about a toddler getting hit by a tree branch. I know this, but in my defense, I was only humored by the "how the heck" factor of the situation. I don't think children getting hit by things is funny- unless of course they aren't hurt, then I'd laugh-, But "Toddler gets hit by tree limb" just sounds so random, I could not control my diaphragmatic spasms. So now that I have told you I'm not a heartless freak, let's get to the story.

So, on Monday 2 year-old, Tripp Halstead, was playing outside his daycare center when a tree limb fell on him. It was an unusually windy day on account of hurricane Sandy up north, and so the tree was blown down. He was then immediately rushed to the hospital where he underwent three hours of brain surgery.

Since then, the swelling in his brain has gone down, but he is still in critical condition, and doctors estimate that he will likely have to spend 30 days in the intensive care unit and then be transported to Scottish Right for a more long-term rehabilitation program. Since, the damage to Tripp's brain was so severe, he will likely have to re-learn everything.

However, this story doesn't only consist of depressing facts. And you're probably thinking, "What could possibly be good about a toddler getting hit by a falling limb?" To that I say, nothing. But the non-depressing part I'm talking about is the fact that the Halstead family has been receiving an overwhelming outpouring of support from friends, family, and even complete strangers. In fact, reporters have stated that at points, 50 people have been in the hospital waiting room, eager to see Tripp and monitor his progress.

The support does not stop there either. If you have to pay your own bills, I assume at some point in this blog you wondered, "How can anyone possibly afford those medical costs?" If you don't pay your own bills, you probably just had an "aha" moment and realized that is a solid question. Well, people have already thought of that, and a fund has been created where the public can make donations at PNC Bank in Tripp Halstead's name.

So the moral of the story- other than the fact that laughing about toddlers getting hit by things is inappropriate- is that if you get into a fight with a tree branch, the tree branch will win.(That is a joke, I know he didn't ask to be hit by a tree.)