Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah family is waiting and praying for their 9-year-old to wake up after he was hit by a car while riding his bike.
Tiffany Vendela hasn't left her son's side since the Wednesday accident.
"He's a sweet kid with a loving heart and he loves his friends," she said. "I hope to get that Trayden back."
Trayden was riding his bike in their Huntsville neighborhood with Tiffany Vendela and his two siblings. There were no cars around, yet, when they rounded a blind corner, two teenagers drove around, hitting Trayden head-on.
"My youngest one saw it and my oldest and I heard it," Tiffany Vendela said.
A helmet made the difference
If Trayden had not been wearing a helmet, Tiffany Vendela said he wouldn't have survived.
"I was a nag and it paid off, so please put helmets on your child with everything," she said.
Trayden was flown to Primary Children's Hospital. They now wait for him to recover enough to end his medical coma – a wait Tiffany Vendela is all too familiar with.
"This is not, unfortunately, new to me," she said, adding that her husband was wounded in Iraq and lost both of his legs.
"I've kind of gone through this and knowing that you have your ups and your downs, and you just have to know that God is good," Tiffany Vendela said.
That calmness about her, she said, comes from her belief in Jesus Christ.
"Whatever the outcome may be, whether it's what I want it to be or whether it's something a little different, I know that we'll be OK," she said.
Trayden has woken up once since the accident on Wednesday. He gave a hand squeeze to his loved ones, which encouraged his mom.
Doctors are slowly weaning Trayden off sedation so when he does wake up, they can do an MRI and get a feel for what his recovery will look like.
The community has set up a GoFundMe account* to help cover the family's expenses. To follow his progress, visit the Tough Like Trayden FaceBook page.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
