Tripp Halstead’s family had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Friday, the Barrow County 2-year-old was released from the hospital after a five-month battle for his life.
The family posted a video of his homecoming on the Facebook page they set up to chronicle his progress.
“This is going to take some getting used to,” Tripp’s mother, Stacy Halstead, wrote Friday night. “He has meds around the clock so we are trying to make them work for our schedule. So as extremely happy as I am to be home, I am completely exhausted. Physically and emotionally. Today was a huge day.”
Tripp had been hospitalized since Oct. 29, when a falling tree limb struck him in the head at his Winder daycare center. He was first taken to a Barrow County hospital before being transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where he underwent emergency brain surgery.
He has endured countless surgeries since then, and he had bacterial meningitis in mid-February. Since March 1, the toddler has undergone four brain surgeries and three procedures, his family said.
Early Friday, Stacy Halstead posted: “Guess who is awake???? (Besides me at 4 in the morning) Trippadoodle!!! He has finally opened those beautiful eyes and is stretching. It is such a relief. The Drs kept saying he was just extremely tired but it is still hard to see your baby not open his eyes for 2 days. Just wanted to take a moment to tell you the good news!! Thank you all for your continued prayers and positive thoughts!!!!”
Friday night, father Bill Halstead posted, “I think this video says it all…”
In the video, Tripp is carried in and greeted by well-wishers. A “Cars”-themed party was set up, complete with a Tow Mater cake. Back in November, Tripp received words of encouragement from the stars of his favorite movie.
Larry the Cable Guy, the voice of Tow Mater, tweeted, “Hey Tripp! It’s Mater! Like tuh mater without the tuh. I hope you git well soon Lil buddy so we can do us some tractor tippin!” Actor Owen Wilson, the voice of his favorite character, Lightning McQueen, left a voicemail, the family said.
The family has been overwhelmed by the community’s support and fund-raising efforts during Tripp’s recovery. The Facebook page has more than 378,000 likes.
The Gwinnett Gladiators are hosting a fundraiser Saturday, with $5 from every ticket bought from their online site going directly to Tripp's family.
—Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this article.
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