A year ago, Angie Britch's son Bailey attempted suicide and lost function in the lower half of his body.
On Jan. 17, 2020, Britch met the first responders that saved her son's life.
Britch brought gifts for Noah Tracy and Dakota Zimmerman, employees of Advanced Medical Transport in Peoria. They included copies of police reports from the day, a lunch, and bags of "Lifesavers".
Britch was excited to be able to show a video of Bailey thanking them for their work. Bailey also had another surprise development to share.
"So for them to go from seeing that with, I mean, essentially a lifeless young man, to seeing a video of him now with movement below his waist, which we'd been told he'd never have, on video, was pretty special." said Britch.
In December, Bailey was able to move his legs. Britch says doctors told her this was something that he would never do again.
"So they fitted him with some new boots, so they can hopefully retrain those muscles to be in an upright position. That's a normal standing position versus a tippy-toe position," said Britch. "And once we get that, then that's just another step closer to having him stand."
Britch has become an advocate for suicide prevention in the past year, fundraising for the annual Suicide Walk. She hopes by the next one, Bailey will be able to complete the walk with her...Walking, rolling, or otherwise.
The Britch family has set up a GoFundMe for Bailey's ongoing treatment, you can find more information at https://www.gofundme.com/f/kbxweu-believe-in-bailey.
If you or someone you know are thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.