The most terrifying experience for parents is likely to be any situation that threatens the safety, health, or well-being of their child. This can be incredibly traumatic for parents, as they may feel powerless to help their child, and the fear and worry they may feel in these situations can be overwhelming and long-lasting.
But perhaps even more traumatic is knowing that your child was injured in the place where they should be safest—your home.
It is a feeling that a mother named Ashley knows all too well after her four-month-old baby girl was brutally mauled by a raccoon in their newly rented rooming house.
They had moved into the unit just a few days prior.
“My daughter was laying on the bed sleeping, and I went to take my son to the bathroom,” Ashley said. “We heard a sound upstairs and we see a raccoon run down the steps.”
By the time she got to her daughter, Journi, the rodent had already ripped her off the bed and dragged her to the other side of the bedroom.
“When I finally got to her, she was lying on the floor, so it had dragged her off the bed and across the room, and she was bleeding and crying, and her whole face was red,” reported the devastated mother.
Journi was quickly rushed to the hospital, where doctors mended her facial wounds with 65 stitches, but they warned Ashley that her full recovery could take as long as a year.
Thankfully, the four-month-old fighter was released from the hospital on Christmas Day, just five days after the attack.
“It’s a good Christmas gift,” said her grateful mama, who now intends to seek legal action against the landlord, who ignored numerous complaints by tenants of raccoon infestation.
“It is his (the landlord’s) responsibility,” added Journi’s father, Sam. “There’s no reason an animal should have gotten into the house with minors.”
In the meantime, the family has received an unexpected influx of generosity from strangers across the country who are trying to get little Journi into a safe home.
Journi’s parents are eternally grateful for the overwhelming flood of support they’ve received since the incident, which has allowed them to keep their focus on getting their baby girl back to full health.
“We are just taking it one day at a time,” said Sam. “My focus is getting my daughter back to full strength and making sure her scars and everything is healed so she can live the rest of her life beautiful.”
He later added, “As long as it takes, we’ll be here for her.”
“Even though she hadn’t fully healed, with prayer and patience, she will get better,” Journi’s grandma, Michelle, said. “Thanks to all who donated to the go fund me page. We understand that you may not have it to give, but your prayers are good enough.”
See pictures of baby Journi after the attack here.
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