5 years after life-altering accident, Tripp Halstead continues to make progress

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — It's been almost five years since a healthy 2-year-old boy's life was forever changed when a tree limb fell on him, causing brain damage.

Tripp Halstead's parents are celebrating the progress he's made.

Channel 2’s Wendy Corona visited the family Friday. Family members told her that the past years have been a blessing.

Five years ago, they didn't think he'd survive, so they celebrate life and every accomplishment.

“The thing I’m most proud of in my life is Tripp,” father Bill Halstead told Corona.

Bill, and his wife, Stacy, are two of the most positive people you’ll ever meet.

“We always try to look at the positives as opposed to focusing on the negatives because the negatives could really put you in a dark place,” Bill Halstead said.

[READ: A timeline: Looking back at Tripp Halstead's long road to recovery]

Their world, their only son, Tripp, got brain damage when a tree limb fell on him in 2012. Since then, it's been round-the-clock care and almost daily therapy. But in this year, the family has seen major progress.

“He goes to school, which he loves. He’s in first grade and he just smiles every morning getting ready for school,” Stacey Halstead told Corona.

Physically, Tripp remains mostly still, but his mother said he is blossoming elsewhere.

“Mostly just his personality. I mean, this kid, he will roll his eyes. He will get upset with you and pout, but then he also giggles and he smiles and it’s just, it’ll warm your heart to see how happy he is,” Stacey Halstead said.

The happiest anyone has ever seen him was earlier this month at Disney World, the Halsteads said.

“You can always tell when he’s happy or stressed out, and we never ever got the stressed-out look,” Bill Halstead said.

While his outlook is unknown, Tripp's doctors and parents are encouraged by how far he's come in five years.

“We want to have expectations of walking, talking, eating, but that’s kind of unrealistic at this point. So, we’re just doing the best we can to keep him happy,” Stacey Halstead told Corona. “Honestly, if he never got a day better, I am content with this. I know how he feels. I know that he’s happy. I know that he has a good life and he knows that he is loved.”

Cox Media Group