"Oh how fast things can change"
Stacy Halstead knows that more than most of us ever will.
The mother of Tripp Halstead, the boy who won the hearts of millions across the world, was open and honest about the triumphs and setbacks her little boy faced after a life-changing accident back in 2012. It was Oct. 29, 2012 when a tree limb fell on the then-2-year-old boy as he played outside a daycare in Winder.
Doctors told Tripp's parents that his brain had swollen, which caused his brain to shut down. They feared Tripp would not survive. But he did for more than five years.
Stacy shared details of Tripp's journey all the way to the end to the 1.3 million followers on Tripp's Facebook page.
PHOTOS: Tripp Halstead (story continues below photos)
PHOTOS: Tripp Halstead through the years
On Thursday morning, on what was to be the final day of the young boy's life, Stacy wrote about the troubles that she saw Tripp having when she woke up.
"I went to wake Tripp up for school this morning and he was having labored breathing," she wrote. "I could see his little chest going up and down and his heart rate was high."
Stacy wrote that her pediatrician told her to bring Tripp in after the boy cried and had "crazy diarrhea" when she went to move him. He was already on oxygen because it helped him sleep, his mother wrote.
"As I was driving to the pediatrician’s office, I could tell Tripp was getting worse and I wasn’t sure I had enough oxygen in the tank I brought to make it to Atlanta especially in heavy traffic so we took a detours to Athens ER," Stacy wrote.
Doctors put Tripp on "high flow oxygen" and did blood work and x-rays. They also got an IV started, she said. His left lung was "cloudy', doctors told her.
"It could be pneumonia or a mucus plug," Stacy wrote they told her. Because the Athens hospital doesn't have a pediatrics ICU, they sent the Halsteads to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
"They recommended a Bronchial washing," Stacy wrote. "Which is part of a procedure called a bronchoscopy, a physician looks into the lungs with a fiber-optic bronchoscope to check for irregularities and take tissue samples. Also referring to as 'lung washing'."
The final words of Stacy's post were filled with optimism:
"Anyway, not sure what’s going to happen but I just feel 10000% better knowing he’s in good hands at the hospital.
I’ll update later with Thank you Thursday and Pictures. Plus an update on Tripp.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Love you all."
The post was made around 2 p.m. About 8 hours later, Stacy Halstead confirmed to 11Alive the devastating news: Tripp had passed away.
“Thank you for all of the support. We are devastated," she said in a statement.
The details of what exactly led to Tripp's death are not yet known. For now, the family that shared so much, deserves some privacy to absorb their great loss.
TRIPP HALSTEAD THROUGH THE YEARS
