Etched in every corner of Bill and Stacy Halstead’s home is a bit of Tripp.
Much of his room is still the same. Stuffed animals are neatly stacked in a small blue chair. His bed is covered in blue and white patterned sheets. Atop them are more of his favorite stuffed animals.
“We just miss him all the time and think about him constantly,” father Bill Halstead told Channel 2 Action News. “It’s tough.”
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He and Stacy Halstead sat bravely, as they always have, for their first televised interview since their 7-year-old son died last month.
“We never expected him to pass,” Stacy Halstead said. “It was a complete shock.”
Tripp, who survived a traumatic brain injury after a tree limb fell on him five years ago, was taken to the hospital March 15 after Stacy Halstead noticed his breathing was labored.
“I had seen him like that before and I thought, ‘Oh, he has pneumonia,’” she told Channel 2.
Shortly after arriving at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, Tripp’s parents heard a code blue from his room.
“We just see them on top of him doing CPR and taking his pulse,” Stacy Halstead said through tears. “We see there’s nothing going on on the monitor. And I’m just crying out: ‘Trippadoo, it’s OK. We’re here. We’re here. You’re fine. We love you.’”
Tripp died later that evening.
Stacy Halstead said her reaction was just like something you’d see in a movie: “You fall in the chair and you’re screaming and you’re crying. It’s just horrific.”
The family has been comforted by letters they’ve gotten from people around the world — strangers who were inspired by Tripp’s journey.
“When you read the cards,” Stacy Halstead said, “it makes you realize how much he was loved and how much he’s going to be missed by everyone.”
RELATED: Condolences pour in for Tripp Halstead family on social media
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