In a shocking piece of news, a two-year-old boy in Colorado is currently battling for his life after he was allegedly thrashed by a drunken babysitter, who was considered the mother's trusted friend. Giovanni Reichart received several life-threatening injuries, even having to remove a part of his skull due to a brain bleed, along with other operations for the past few months.
The heart-wrenching incident occurred when Giovanni's mother Stephanie left him in the care of her friend McKinley Slone Hernandez on September 1, according to New York Post. It has not been determined what happened to the young Giovanni during that ill-fated night as Hernandez has refused to admit to anything, said Stephanie.
"All she’s said is she was drinking, and he got hurt in her care... I make up scenarios in my head all the time for the injuries he sustained, so I wish I knew," Stephanie told US media.
The 25-year-old Hernandez was arrested earlier this year and is facing felony child abuse charges. She regularly watched Giovanni along with others at an unlicensed childcare facility located at her residence in Lakewood.
Stephanie further said that she received a text message from Hernandez a few hours after leaving Giovanni in her care as her son "had gone lifeless after a bath". "Once I saw him and all the 50 doctors standing around him, I had to leave the room because it was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life," she added.
Giovanni was airlifted to the hospital and underwent an emergency operation for the brain bleed. He was intubated and placed in an induced coma while undergoing several more operations in the following months. "Prior to this, (Giovanni) was a happy, healthy, energetic two-year-old. As you can imagine, his parents Anthony and Stefanie are completely distraught," read a GoFundMe page for the toddler.
Stephanie said that the charges against Hernandez were not enough. "I feel so relieved, but I also feel like she should be charged with more. I feel like it’s attempted murder — she almost killed my child. You never think it would happen to you, especially by someone you consider a friend."
Stephanie raised fears that spending months in a hospital could take a heavy toll on the toddler's psyche. "He doesn’t like strangers. Now, he doesn’t like the nurses and the doctors. He doesn’t let anybody touch him."
An online fundraiser has raised more than $23,000 for Giovanni's treatment.
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