Roughly five months after having to go into emergency labor as the result of a stabbing, a Brookhaven woman was able to bring her baby home.
Valerie Kasper, who police said is the victim of an unprovoked attack in June, said her infant, Theodore Jude, was released from Children’s Hospital of Atlanta at Egleston’s newborn intensive care unit last Friday.
“We finally made it home,” Kasper wrote in an update on her GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $100,000 for her family. “... His care is definitely overwhelming and exhausting but we are getting used to the routines. We will be getting an at-home nurse in a few weeks to support us. We are hoping and praying he thrives at home!”
Credit: GoFundMe
Credit: GoFundMe
Kasper, 34, was walking to her car at one of Peachtree Creek Greenway’s access points on June 5 when she was stabbed multiple times in the back, according to police. Her 3-year-old son, Benjamin, was by her side but not injured.
Five days later, police arrested 30-year-old Christopher Jones, a homeless man who investigators said suffers from mental illness. He admitted to the stabbing. Jones, who was out of jail on bond at the time of the incident, remains in custody and was indicted on counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery and first-degree child cruelty.
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
The stabbing forced Kasper to undergo an emergency C-section, despite only being five months pregnant. About a week after giving birth, Kasper told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Theodore weighed a little more than two pounds, meaning he was classified as a “micro-preemie.”
In her GoFundMe update, Kasper thanked the hospital staff and the support of her family, friends and everyone wishing her family well. She said Benjamin was finally able to meet his younger brother once Theodore was released from the hospital.
She also detailed the various medical equipment and routines that Theodore still needs, which includes additional oxygen, a feeding tube and a heart monitor. She also said the baby has bradycardia, meaning his heart rate sometimes beats abnormally slow.
“The first few nights we did not sleep a wink, but we are working on our routines with a baby boy,” she said, thanking her boyfriend Steve for his help. “Everything was a two-man job in the beginning, caring for a baby that is attached to so much (equipment).”
Kasper was the first victim of a violent incident along Peachtree Creek Greenway since the first 1.3-mile stretch of the multi-use trail opened in December 2019. As a result of the stabbing, the city plans to install additional cameras at the greenway’s three trailheads, including the Corporate Boulevard location where Kasper was attacked.
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