Seven-year-old Aaron Shannon’s life changed when he dashed out into the roadway in front of his home on Sept. 18.

The only thought in his head: Go play with friends. He ran across Ohio Street as his mother Charlese Alexander had just asked her fiance to call Aaron to come inside. But his thought would be short-lived on that warm Sunday evening when an SUV struck him.

“He was just doing too much and they were just getting ready to call him into the house. They had turned back to tell him when they heard the crash,”said Alexis Alexander Jones, Aaron’s aunt.

Aaron’s traumatic day

On impact, Aaron’s pelvis fractured in two places. His body flew up in the air. The SUV traveled north and stopped. And his head struck the pavement when his body came to rest on the road.

Unconscious, Charlese, her fiance and her neighbors rushed outside to help Aaron. They called 911. And the rescue workers with the Racine Fire Department called Flight for Life when they saw Aaron’s head injury. The helicopter took him to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Last week he was moved to another floor to receive rehabilitation therapy.

“He’s doing pretty good now,” Charlese said. “He’s talking and eating on his own. But he can’t walk on left leg and that’s been rough on him because all he wants to do is go home.”

Alexis: “We’ve just had Enough”

Aaron’s accident is just a long list of traumatic events that have plagued the Alexander family this year. Charlese’s father, Charles Williams, died in March. Her mother Laurel Alexander was hospitalized in May and in that same month a woman crashed her car into Charlese’s home. It started on fire and the family lost everything they owned but a few boxes of photos. And on June 5, Laurel died.

Knowing that Aaron is alive is an answered prayer. But his body will take time to heal. Still, his good spirit returns a little more each day.

“It’s been hard. We’re praying for the best,” Charlese said. “All he talks about is going home and we’re just not sure when that’s going to be.”

“This whole year has been rough on her,” Alexis said about her sister. “Over and above we’ve just had enough.”

But the family has stayed strong in their faith in God. They have learned to lean on their faith and each other. And they are grateful that the community has helped support them.

For Aaron, the highlight of his week: Talking to his friends.

“He’s a second-grader a Schulte School and the teacher called to let his friends talk to him,” she said. “He just had a big smile the whole time.”

Help Needed

Because they lost everything in the fire, the family needs winter clothing. Alexis started an online fundraiser for people interested in making a donation to the family. Click on the link to make a donation to the Alexander family.

“I want to thank everyone for their prayers and their support,” Charlese said. “Everyone is praying for him to get better.”