Q: Do you have an update on Tripp Halstead? How he is doing?
— Chris Rice, Rex
A: Tripp, who sustained a traumatic brain injury during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when a tree branch fell and crushed part of his skull while he was at his Winder day care, had his tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes placed in his ears in late April. He was in the hospital for only two days, his mother, Stacy Halstead, said. She told Q&A on the News that the tubes are needed for Tripp to hopefully undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy this summer. The procedure, which involves breathing oxygen in a pressurized chamber, could push oxygen into crevices of his brain and possibly spark a response, and it is a route the family wants to try, even if they are unsure it will help, she said. Tripp, who will be 4 in September, has responded in various ways to therapy the past few months, she said. He was following commands, but is doing that less. He now is showing more of his personality by smiling and crying, his mother said. "It's always changing," she said. "It's like different parts of his brain are working at different times." The family provides regular updates on a Facebook page (facebook.com/TrippHalsteadUpdates), which has more than 1 million likes. The family also plans to appear at a May 10 book signing at the Sandy Springs branch of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, for "Tripp McQueen," a book written by a Florida elementary school student, Madison Maya Jayanna, and published by Giving Foundation for Children, a Florida nonprofit organization.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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