DETROIT (WXYZ) — On February 7th, Jayden Paeth was walking down the sidewalk when two cars collided and he was caught in the middle. His life was almost over in a split second.
“The first day we thought we were going to lose my son,” says his mom Jody Provost outside Children’s Hospital in Detroit where Jayden is going through extended treatment. “He just turned 16 two days before this. We didn’t even get to have his birthday party.”
Surveillance video shows one vehicle hits another and Jayden gets hit on the sidewalk. It is too painful for his mother to watch. She’d rather look at and show you Jayden’s progress in pictures from inside the hospital.
He was in intensive care and is now looking and feeling much better. He still communicates with hand signals. He’s still on a feeding tube, but is working hard to walk.
“He’s starting to stand with lots of assistance. I think he’s doing amazing,” his mother says.
His father, Mike Kenney, is also at the hospital and says, “I just try to stay positive cause the negative can consume you pretty quick.”
Jayden’s little sister, Mahala Kenney, is also there and adds, “It just wish everything could be normal again. And I wish none of this every happened.”
In the surveillance video you can see one of the drivers take off. Port Huron Police would chase down and arrest 43-year-old Patrick Houle of Kimball. He’s charged with fleeing, leaving the scene and driving on a suspended license.
Inside Port Huron High School students are selling fliers that say Believe in Jayden.
Principal Mike Palmer says, “What I know about the family is they’re hard working people, but if you can’t work, it’s hard to make ends meet.”
One day coming, they hope soon, they’ll all be back together in Port Huron.
“We’re just waiting for him to make a recovery so we can have the biggest birthday party he’s ever had in his life.”
Just today the family set up a GoFundMe page.
