The parents of a baby girl said they are thankful for a Kansas trooper who saved their daughter’s life on Mother’s Day, leading to the discovery that she needed heart surgery.
At just 18 days old, Brexley Huffman stopped breathing as she and her parents, Kahl Huffman and Gracie Gray, were driving to church. Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Evan Jacks, who was on patrol just yards away from where the family parked, rushed to help.
“I work in the medical field, but even – whenever it’s your own child, it’s different,” said Gray, Brexley’s mother. “But it was a huge relief when Evan was that close as he was.” Jacks performed lifesaving measures and got the baby girl breathing again.The baby was taken to the hospital and that's when her parents learned she had a series of heart defects, known as Shone’s syndrome, and needed open heart surgery. She underwent successful surgery Thursday morning at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.
“We’re just so thankful we’ve gotten to this point. She’s on the road to recovery,” said Huffman, Brexley’s father. “The amount of prayers and support we’ve gotten from everybody – people we don’t even know, probably will never know – is just truly heartwarming.” After Brexley’s surgery, her parents took the opportunity to thank Jacks for his heroic actions.
“We’re just so grateful he was there, and we know he’s an amazing guy,” Huffman said. “He’s always gonna have a special place in our hearts and in our daughter’s heart. Without him, it’s hard to tell what would have happened, so he’s a heck of a guy.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with medical costs.
Photo: tfoxfoto / iStock / Getty Images