AURORA – An Aurora mother wanted to share the story of her adopted son, because she wants others to know the consequences of shaken baby syndrome.
Jamie Jenkins brought her son Rashon home to die. That was a couple of years ago.
"We were actually asked to bring him home to give him a place to pass away," Jenkins said. "They debated keeping him alive and putting a tube in him, but we're so glad that he did [survive]. He's the greatest addition."
Rashon just turned 4. He loves music, and like most kids these days, smiles big to the theme song from Disney's Frozen.
"He's our only little boy," Jenkins said. "He enjoys going to the barbershop once a week with his daddy to get a haircut, loves preschool. He has friends that just surround him and love him."
Jamie Jenkins and Anthony Ramsey just finalized their adoption of Rashon.
According to court records, Rashon's maternal grandfather and caretaker shook the little boy when he was nearly 2 years old.
"He was developing normally, walking, talking, running, eating, playing, loving life." Jenkins said. "This injury has left him unable to walk, unable to talk, unable to eat. He, at times, can't handle his own secretions, and he needs a suction machine to clear those out. He's blind for the most part."
In March, after pleading guilty, Rashon's grandfather was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison for the injuries he caused to the little boy.
The Arapahoe County District Attorney's office prosecuted this case.
"As a child abuse prosecutor, I regularly see the worst things that happen in our community, terrible crimes perpetrated against the most innocent among us, and the worst is what happened to Rashon," prosecutor Amy Ferrin said.
Denise Abdoo, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children's Hospital Colorado was on the team of people who treated Rashon in 2013.
Jenkins signed a waver to allow Abdoo to speak to 9NEWS about Rashon's condition and care.
Adboo said Rashon had bleeding inside his brain and eyes. He had bruising around his eyes.
"Rashon has a very severe brain injury, which has left him with long-term developmental delays," Abdoo said.
While there is no research to show how long or hard a victim is shaken to cause specific injuries, Abdoo says it's a violent act; the damage could occur in a matter of seconds or minutes.
"I want people to understand that it's real," Jenkins said. "You hear, 'oh, don't shake a baby.' Sometimes you hear it come out as a joke, and it's not a joke. It's real. To a certain extent, Rashon was murdered. That little boy is never going to come back. The boy that we have, that we love, that we cherish is here, but that child is never going to be back. That life was taken from him."
Children's Hospital Colorado saw about 34 kids with abusive head traumas last year. It launched new campaign this year called "In This Moment." The goal is to teach people what to do if the baby is inconsolable.
"We talk about having a plan," Adboo said. "We know that babies are going to cry. We know that we think about three 'Ts.' Crying is the number one commonly reported trigger. We know that temperament, behavior in older kids can be challenging, as well as toileting and teaching kids to be potty trained. Those are the three most common things that we see as triggers. We need to have a plan when we're frustrated as parents, what are we going to do, so that we don't injure our kids and we don't shake them."
Ferrin says our system of justice is not perfect but says people like Jenkins give her hope.
"It cannot heal the catastrophic and life-changing injuries that Rashon suffered at the hands of his grandfather. There is no sentence, no penalty that can remedy what happened to this little boy. But, Anthony and Jamie are a shining light in an otherwise terribly sad story," Ferrin said.
"To see Rashon's face light up when he heard his mother's voice was a better outcome than anyone, including a prosecutor, could ask for."
Editor's Note: 9NEWS met Jenkins at the end of 2014, but waited to tell Rashon's story until his adoption was finalized.
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