Waylon’s Story

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) care from Niswonger Children’s Hospital

Waylon was so captivated by the glowing lights of the Laugh & Learn® Lantern musical toy during his therapy sessions, that his adoptive parents, Dustin and Tabby, had to buy him his own toy so he could enjoy it at home, too. At just a year and a half, Waylon brings a special light of his own to his new family and they are grateful for him.

Just a few months earlier, he almost didn’t make it. In February 2023, when he was just eight months old, he was brought to Niswonger Children’s Hospital’s emergency department unresponsive. His body showed signs of child abuse and he had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury from being violently shaken. Doctors performed CPR to bring him back to life, but he was very frail.

As the adoptive parents of Waylon’s older sister, Rory, Tabby and Dustin were notified that Rory’s baby brother was being treated but they didn’t expect him to survive beyond 48 hours. Tabby and Dustin didn’t hesitate. They went to his side and showered him with love. Waylon survived those critical hours and was transferred to the ICU and later to the Med-Surg unit. He captured the hearts of all the nurses who cared for him.

“I just kept going back each week, going back and going back and he kept improving,” Tabby recalls. After 52 days, Tabby and Dustin were able to bring Waylon home. As they walked out of the hospital, the nurses threw a parade for him.

Tabby has been a nurse for 13 years, but she never worked with children. And while she did raise Waylon’s sister from the time Rory was two, Tabby didn’t know how to care for a baby with special needs. But then she met Dr. Michelle Estes, Waylon’s pediatrician at Ballad Health Medical Associates in Kingsport.

“She has gone above and beyond to help me with Waylon, to make sure he has all he needs,” Tabby says, her voice cracking through tears. “I can text her any time and she will text right back and reassure me and tell me what to do.”

Through Niswonger Children’s Hospital, Waylon receives physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy weekly, which is where he became fascinated with the Laugh & Learn® Lantern. He is also being provided assistive equipment. “He’s not able to hold his head up, but he’s trying,” Tabby says. “And he is progressing slowly. We just don’t know yet how much he will be able to do.”

One thing that has been progressing is the adoption process Tabby and Dustin put in motion as soon as they brought Waylon home. They wanted to make their role as Waylon’s parents official, just as they had done with his sister. Their extended family has welcomed them all with open arms and showered them with love even before the adoptions went through.

“We couldn’t wait to adopt him,” Tabby says. “For his sake and for our sake, and just so he would know that he would always be safe with us.”

Want to learn more about Niswonger Children’s Network?

The Niswonger Children’s Network is dedicated to improving the health and future of the Appalachian Highlands through expert pediatric care so that we can share more heartwarming stories like Waylon’s.

Read more Niswonger Children’s Stories here.