Perhaps nothing is more terrifying as a parent than knowing your children are unsafe in their own home.
It is a feeling that Philadelphia mother Ashley Rodgers knows all too well after her four-month-old baby girl was brutally mauled by a raccoon in their newly-rented rooming house.
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They had moved into the unit just a few days prior.
“My daughter was laying on the bed sleeping and I went to take my son to the bathroom,” Ashley told CBS Philly. “We heard a sound upstairs and we see a raccoon run down the steps.”
By the time she got to her daughter, Journi, the rodent had already torn her off the bed and dragged her to the other side of the bedroom.
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“When I finally got to her, she was laying on the floor so it had dragged her off the bed, across the room, and she was bleeding and crying and her whole face was red,” reported the devastated mother.
Journi was quickly rushed to the hospital where doctors mended her facial wounds with 65 stitches, but they warned Ashley that her full recovery could take as long as a year.
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Thankfully, the four-month-old fighter was released from the hospital on Christmas day, just five days after the attack.
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“It’s a good Christmas gift,” said her grateful mama, who now intends to seek legal action against the landlord who ignored numerous complaints by tenants of raccoon infestation.
“It is his (the landlord’s) responsibility,” added Journi’s father, Samuel Black. “There’s no reason an animal should have gotten into the house with minors.”
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In the meantime, the family has received an unexpected influx of generosity from strangers across the country who are trying to get little Journi in a safe home.
In just 2 days, the GoFundMe page raised a whopping $15,000, far surpassing its goal of $2,000–and a little over two weeks later, that amount has nearly doubled.
Journi’s parents are eternally grateful for the overwhelming flood of support they’ve received since the incident, allowing them to keep their focus on getting their baby girl back to full health.
“We are just taking it one day at a time,” said Sam. “My focus is getting my daughter back to full strength and making sure her scars and everything is healed so she can live the rest of her life beautiful.”
He later added, “As long as it takes, we’ll be here for her.”
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“Even though she hadn’t fully healed with prayer and patience she will get better,” Journi’s grandma, Michelle Straughter, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Thanks to all who donated to the go fund me page. We understand that you may not have it to give but your prayers is good enough.”
Please join us in praying for sweet Journi’s speedy recovery. If you feel led to support this family financially, you may donate to their GoFundMe here.
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