St. Petersburg, Florida -- Over the weekend investigators say a 3-month-old girl named Olivia was killed by her own father 44-year-old Steven Dykes. They say the crime happened at their home in Pinellas Park when Steven became frustrated when his daughter started to cry in the middle of the night.
Child advocates say even when a child survives that type of alleged attack it can leave them with a lifetime of challenges.
When Graham Warren was three months old investigators say his father Tom admitted to being frustrated while caring for the boy alone at home. Tom denied shaking Graham, but a jury convicted him of child abuse. Graham was found limp. He wasn't breathing and after being rushed to the hospital he faced three hours of brain surgery.
10 News first introduced you to Graham when he was four years old.
His mother, Susan Martin-Warren, said back in 2009 that her son faced an uphill battle after suffering brain damage. Back then he endured weekly therapy appointments. He wore a special splint on his hand and a brace on his leg.
Now, years later, Graham is 10 and in the fourth grade. He and his mother live out of state. Susan says they have a lot to be thankful for but admits there are still challenges.
She says, "He's had three brain surgeries now later into his childhood."
He's been diagnosed with epilepsy and suffers from seizures. Though he's weak on his right side he's into sports. Susan says, "He loves to play basketball."
When Susan lived in Wesley Chapel she trained workers like the one featured in a special demonstration put on by Healthy Families Pasco-Hernando. The woman in the demonstration pretends to be a sleep-deprived mother who is frazzled and frustrated.
The woman snaps. A hush falls over those watching the demonstration as Siobhan Giunta explains to the crowd in a hushed voice.
"We just want them to stop crying. We make a split second decision and we shake them and what happens is a severe head trauma and this is the result of what happens to their brain."
Susan, meanwhile, continues to share her story to help others and says even as children recover they still have to face the loss of a parent when another parent hurts them and is then removed from their lives.
Contact Healthy Families Pasco-Hernando if you'd like someone to provide a demonstration for your group. Just call 727-967-7509.
