14-Month-Old Recovering From Brain Injury

We often report stories about children who suffer injuries doctors suspect were caused by abuse. We wanted to know what happens after the headlines. What are the challenges those kids face every day?

We found it's not an easy battle, but we also found inspiration. Hundreds of others have, too, by following Isaiah Butler's brave fight on Facebook. This post about Isaiah says it best: "Keep up the good work. You make us all thankful and proud!"

One look at Isaiah Butler's big brown eyes and his sweet, innocent smile and he's got you. Isaiah is one special little boy. He's 14 months old and he's come a long way. Sheila Butler of Hayward, Wis., is Isaiah's mom.

"Everybody loves his smile, just reels everybody in when they see his smile," Butler said about her son.

It's hard to tell at first glance, but every move Isaiah makes is work. Isaiah has a severe brain injury. 13 months ago, he was with his father for the weekend.

"It was his first weekend away from me," Butler recalls.

Isaiah was just 5 weeks old and something was wrong.

"He wasn't eating," Butler said. "He wouldn't take the bottle."

Hospital records show Isaiah was lethargic and unresponsive. Nurses saw several bruises on his head and arm. One, they wrote, looked like a fingerprint.

"They did the CT scan and saw that his brain was bleeding and then I realized, you know, it wasn't just, he's not just sick," Butler said.

The diagnosis on paper: Isaiah had bleeding inside his head from what doctors identified as non-accidental trauma. A doctor treating Isaiah suspected abuse.

"I knew it was bad," Butler said.

Sheila said doctors told her Isaiah probably wouldn't survive.

"They had to take his feeding tube out to see if he would take his bottle and he did, and that was a big thing," Butler said.

From that moment on, Isaiah kept fighting, defying what doctors predicted.

"I remember the day he rolled over," Butler said. "When he smiled, that was a big day, too."

There may be more big days for Isaiah, but there will be struggles.

Doctor Mark Hudson is a child abuse pediatrician at Children's Hospital in St. Paul. He treats kids who have been injured like Isaiah.

"Many times, milestones are delayed or never reached," Dr. Hudson explained. "Certainly there are many children, however, who it's apparent early on that their life is not going to be anywhere near the same."

It's unclear how much healing Isaiah's brain will do, but it won't be for lack of effort. Isaiah's physical therapist, Gwem Vinopal, works with him every week. Everything she does with him like lifting a rattle, playing with toys, reaching for simple things, even propping his elbows up underneath him, has purpose.   

"Everything is a challenge for him," Vinopal said. "It's hard for Isaiah to hold his head up. It's hard for him to reach."

Isaiah has so much to learn.

"Everybody kind of sees things a little bit differently with Isaiah," Butler said.

Isaiah is teaching everyone around him compassion. His brothers and sister now defend kids who are different.

"When the rest of the kids are teasing them, he's like 'you know, that's not right, he's just different. His brain works differently than ours does'," Butler said.

25% of children who suffer an injury like Isaiah's die. So, he's beaten some odds. 80% suffer a permanent disability. Isaiah's life will be built on determination and hope.

"I would like to hear him say mama, and walk, but I have to be a little realistic," Butler said.

Those things may never happen, but the beautiful thing about Isaiah is what's already happening.

We talked to Isaiah's father this week. He said, "I love him and I didn't hurt him." No one has been arrested or charged. The investigation into what happened to Isaiah continues.

If you'd like to follow his fight on Facebook, click here.