CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A Chesterfield family is receiving an outpouring of community support after their 2-year-old son lost his foot in a lawn mower accident on March 20.
Brittney Walls said just over a week ago, her family didn’t know how they would move forward after her son, Cohen, was accidentally run over by a lawn mower.
In the hours that followed, he underwent two surgeries, including the amputation of his right foot just above the ankle.
"I was here and my husband called me or texted me, '911 — stop what you’re doing and answer your phone,' and I answered, and you could tell he was hysterical and he said, 'I’ve run over Cohen,' and I’m like, 'What? What do you mean?'" Walls said.
Cohen is now back home, but life looks different.
He is in a wheelchair, which means simple things like getting in and out of the house suddenly aren’t so simple.
To help the family, a brand-new ramp is being built outside their home. It was made possible by a donation of supplies from Home Depot and a team of volunteers from Project:HOMES who showed up ready to work, free of charge.
"This is just going to make it so simple," Walls said. "Seeing a community like this is what I want to teach [my children]."
"This family is going through a number of stresses and they don’t need extra, so it’s a privilege for us to be here to do this for them," volunteer Peter Adler said.
On Tuesday, Adler and his team of about 15 volunteers arrived at the Walls home. It took them around 5 hours to build the ramp.
While the ramp eases a financial burden and the daily emotional weight for the family, it's just one example of how the community has rallied around them.
"We’ve had people offer swim lessons, Home Depot gift supplies, people here building things, dropping gifts off; we’ve had churches bring donations to us. We’ve had people stand in the gap and say this little boy will survive. He will live a normal life, and as a mom that’s that’s all you could want," Walls said.
Doctors say Cohen will need many more surgeries as he grows, and it is still unknown how long he will be in a wheelchair.
While his physical recovery may take years, Walls said emotionally, Cohen hasn’t missed a beat.
Right now, his favorite thing is simple: his dad pushing him on the swing.
Support is coming from across the country, especially from other mothers.
"They would show me their child in the initial phase and like the dad holding them and really where we’re at now and then they would also show me their child jumping on the trampoline and so as a mom, it gives me chills because I know he’s going to be okay," Walls said.
Walls said it is a reminder that Cohen is still here and they have a community to lean on.
"As a mom... all I care is that my family's here. I have my four kids and I thank the community for everything. Cohen is such a light and I hope our testimony reaches everybody," Walls said.
Walls told me she wants her kids to learn what community looks like.
In this family’s darkest moment, she said it is showing her kids what it looks like when people step in and stand in the gap.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family.
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