TAMPA, FL -- Kaleb smiled and turned towards his grandmother as she gently stroked his face. Lee Reynolds says Kaleb loves to be stroked on his face and arms. She gladly rubs and kisses the two year old, as only a grandmother can. Lee is babysitting the toddler while his mom spends a day at the beach. A typical Tampa family, on a typical day.
But Kaleb cannot return the kisses. He cannot see his grandmother. He cannot hear her soothing words. Kaleb is what many crudely call a vegetable. He is blind, deaf and has no control over his arms and legs. He cannot chew or swallow. He will be in a diaper for life. Doctors say he will never improve.
However, it's hard to look at this beautiful baby and think of him as a vegetable. Kaleb somehow manages to exude boyish charm, even though he has no idea he's doing it. The physical therapist who comes to work Kaleb's arms and legs coos and laughs with a child who cannot possibly understand the joy he brings to those around him. This is a typical day in Kaleb's life. This is the typical life of a child abuse victim.
Kaleb suffers from shaken baby syndrome. Hillsborough Sheriff's deputies say Kaleb was severely shaken by a baby sitter in 2007. He was only seven months old. Doctors thought Kaleb would not survive and asked his parents to sign a DNR waiver -- Do Not Resuscitate. His parents refused. Two years later, Kaleb's life is filled with therapists and love, but little hope. This is a family living with child abuse.
Kaleb will never blow out the candles on his birthday cake. Never go trick or treating. Never build a sand castle or wonder at bug crawling on the ground, as most boys do. This is Kaleb's life. This is what child abuse did to Kaleb.
