‘Baby Izaiah’ making progress, 9 years later

VISTA, CALIFORNIA — Nine years ago in Oceanside, north of San Diego, a teenage drunken driver plowed into a stroller carrying 18-month-old Izaiah Wallis, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury and paralyzed from the chest down. He was unable to breathe without a ventilator, was comatose and lost his vision. He wasn’t expected to live. Doctors warned his parents, Jacob Wallis and Lucy Verde, that even if he did live he’d probably be in a permanent vegetative state.

“Baby Izaiah” defied doctors’ expectations. He regained his sight and many of his cognitive functions. He learned to use his arms to pull his lower body around and to use his hands to turn book pages and clap whenever he’s happy.

Now 10 years old, Izaiah remains severely disabled, and his parents struggle to make ends meet as they provide him with 24-hour nursing care.

Verde, 30, said caring full-time for Izaiah, and his 7-year-old sister, Caliah, is the most important job she could wish for.

“I enjoy being a mom and I love taking care of him,” she said.

Izaiah can say a few words, like his name, “hi” and “hey.” Verde said she thinks she heard him say “Mama” a few weeks ago, but she wonders now if it was wishful thinking.

Although a judge ordered the driver to pay the family $55 million in damages, very little money was ever recovered.

Fortunately, the family has been helped through the years by Passion 4 Kids, a nonprofit founded by Charles and Linda Van Kessler. Through donations to its website, passion4kids.org, the group helped the family buy a home, get reliable transportation and cover unexpected expenses. In 2013, the Van Kesslers helped Izaiah’s family land an appearance on the “Dr. Phil” show. Viewers raised $170,000 for a special fund to pay for Izaiah’s medical and therapy care. Today, most of the money from the fund has been spent.

“We’re doing OK right now,” Verde said. “It’s a struggle, but we’re managing.”

On weekdays, Izaiah attends adaptive fifth-grade classes. Verde said she’s now looking for a middle school that he can attend next fall.

Their daughter, Caliah, has grown up watching her parents care for Izaiah. The second-grader, called “Cali,” prides herself in her own nursing abilities. During a visit to the park Sunday, Cali would ride a swing for a few minutes, then periodically rush to her brother’s wheelchair to adjust a hoodie to protect his eyes from the sun.

“All of her life, Izaiah has been this way so she’s used to it,” Verde said. “She’s really good with him and so loving.”

TNS Lucy Verde and her family continue to lovingly support Izaiah Wallis, now 10, every day, after a drunken driver hit the child when he was 18 months old. Since the incident, Izaiah has regained his sight, some use of his arms and some speech.