HOUSTON (KTRK) — Every parent feels their infant is a miracle, but a three-week-old baby named TJ may be even more deserving of the label. His mother was pregnant with him when she was in a car crash that killed two people and left her paralyzed.
Since August, she has had surgery after surgery, trying to recover from the crash, and worrying about how she would deliver a baby while she was paralyzed. Three weeks ago, TJ was born. His survival has amazed his family and his medical team.
Krystal Pierre was pregnant with TJ last August when she rode with her sister to take her niece to college. On the way back, her sister, who was driving, froze as if she had a stroke or a heart attack, and the car crashed and rolled.
“People were coming to help us and I don’t remember anything after that,” Krystal said.
Krystal’s sister and grandmother died in the crash. She suffered a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed. Both her arms were broken, her spleen was lacerated and she had two strokes.
“But the baby was still there,” she said. “That was a miracle. They gave their lives for him, I truly believe that — for him and for me.”
Dr. Sean Blackwell said, “She has been a hero to be able to deal with these issues.”
Krystal who had so many major injuries, now faced another challenge — being paralyzed during her pregnancy. That in itself created a new set of risks.
“Multiple surgeries again and again and to be pregnant, worried about the baby and then on top of that the pregnancy complications because of paraplegia,” Dr. Blackwell explained.
TJ’s father Tony Pierre said, “He was a miracle.”
Tony is grateful his wife and son survived.
“He’s supposed to be here,” he said.
TJ’s left leg is shorter than his right. It’s missing a bone, but doctors believe it’s unrelated to the accident.
Krystal said, “As long as his brain, his heart work fine, his internal organs — I wasn’t worried about anything else.”
Krystal works at Shriners Children’s Hospital and their doctors have started seeing TJ. They are planning to do orthopedic surgery at age two. And Krystal is hoping and pray that one day she may walk again.
“Hopefully we’ll walk at the same time,” she said. “Because I have a feeling this boy here, he’s going to be a handful so I’ve got to walk just to keep up with him.”
Christi Myers
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