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4-year-old shaken baby survivor takes action for kids at CHKD

Posted at 8:00 AM, Apr 10, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-10 10:05:18-04

NORFOLK, Va. - A 4-year-old little boy is remembering children in the hospital and taking action to remind them they are not alone.

Reid Jay just turned four and is healthy and happy. His mom tells News 3 they are blessed that he will grow up to be a normal kid because Reid was seriously hurt by a babysitter when he was an infant.

Laura Jay, Reid's mom, pressed charges against the former sitter who shook Reid multiple times while his parents were at work, according to court documents. Newport News Police charged Reid's babysitter with child abuse because the shaking caused a brain injury.

The family spoke to News 3 after the babysitter's conviction three years later and said they are relieved that their son has made a full recovery.

After Reid was shaken he spent two weeks at CHKD getting treatment for the blood spots on his brain. His mom tells us it was a scary and uncertain situation, but the staff at CHKD made them feel comfortable during a very hard time.

Now, 3 years later they have come up with a plan to give back to CHKD and the kids who are in the shoes that Reid was in not long ago.

Laura told News 3 she has a friend who started a toy drive in honor of her son Caden, another shaken baby survivor. They called it 'With Love from Caden,' and collected toys to be donated to a local hospital in their Georgia hometown.

That mom passed the idea on to Laura who is doing it here with the help of her boys, tagging each donated items with a sign that says 'With Love from Reid.' There was one toy drop earlier this year and another donation of about 400 toys is set to happen Monday morning.

Stuffed animals, games, coloring books, and more are all going to the children being treated at CHKD. Reid and his brother Elliott head up the project and help their mom run the Facebook page that gets others involved.

They have a drop location in Yorktown at the Colin Owens State Farm location at 5005 Victory Blvd. Other donations are sent to the Jay family or picked up to be brought to the hospital.

To get involved check them out on Facebook: With Love, From Reid.

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Family reacts after3-year child abuse case comes to a close