Garrett Brown, 23 months old, was still sedated and much of his head - including his eyes - remained bandaged, but his brothers and sisters were thrilled to see him. They even followed their parents' directions and cleared most of their toys off the floor.
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| Garrett when he was a little boy. He was just 23 months old when he was attacked. |
"We are so glad to be back home and have him with us," said Bruce Brown, the boy's father and a Levy County paramedic. He was among the first on the scene to find his mauled son on Jan. 6. The attack happened minutes after the robust toddler learned how to open the outside door of the family's rural Levy County home. He slipped outside unseen while the others were getting ready for church.
Minutes later, Garrett was found in the yard by his mother Jessica Brown, a 911 dispatcher for Levy County. She initially thought the youngest of her seven children was dead when she picked him up.
The dog, a female German Shepherd, was about 1-1/2 years old and had given birth to a litter of puppies about a month earlier. She as immediately destroyed.
The biggest hurdle Garrett, his parents and his doctors face is figuring out what to do about his vision. His eyelids, some muscle and his tear-producing glands were destroyed. For now, doctors have surgically closed Garrett's eyes.
"There's no technology - no technique - in place right now to build functioning eyelids," Bruce Brown said.
"Some of the doctors told us it could be four to ten years, and some told us they may not come up with a solution in our lifetimes," Jessica Brown said.
Instead of focusing on what is not available, the Browns are looking to the future for their youngest child.
[articled edited for length]
(The Gainesville sun - January 30, 2002)
