EDMONTON – A few days after he started Kindergarten last fall, Liam Webb was jumping with his brothers on their trampoline in Bruderheim, Alta. He hit his head, which shouldn’t have been a big deal, but it was.
“We have one of those trampolines that’s got the net all the way around and the padding all the way around,” his mother, Jennifer Webb, said. “He hit the two inches of metal that was showing through.”
Staff at a nearby hospital stitched up the gash in his scalp and sent Liam home. Ten days later, he showed flu-like symptoms and extreme drowsiness. It turns out, the then-five-year-old had suffered a severe stroke.
“It was devastating,” Jennifer said. “We never thought this would happen to a child.”
“You never think it will happen to your child, but it does.”
Liam’s brain injury resulted in quadriplegia. He can’t move much or say much. But he’s working on it.
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Staff at Edmonton’s Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital say the smiley six-year-old has already made massive gains. When he arrived in November of 2015, he couldn’t hold up his head for more than a few seconds. Now he can sit up and drive his power wheelchair.
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“I think the biggest thing that impressed us with Liam was just his tenacity, his ability to focus on the little details and the little steps,” Glenrose physical therapist Tanya Skitsko said.
Liam can also communicate with a computer. Wearing a tiny sensor on his forehead, he can move the cursor on his custom screen, cuing it to voice his words. His favourite command is the fart sound effect. Visitors and staff have heard that one a lot.
On Mother’s Day, Liam told his mom: “I love you. Kleenex.” As predicted, she needed those tissues.
“He’s a great kid. I’m just really lucky to be his mom.”
Part of his therapy is finding new ways to play with his brothers, 10-year-old Collin and Liam’s twin, Jacob. The Star Wars fans still manage some lively lightsaber battles on the Glenrose playground. Liam’s giggles are contagious.
“I will always miss who Liam was, but I love who he has become,” his mother said with a smile.
Glenrose staff will present him with an Award of Courage at their annual ceremony on Sept. 29. You can see the family’s GoFundMe page here.