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By Miriam Raftery
July 10, 2024 (San Diego) – Akeel Robinson will turn 2-years-old in August. He’s made remarkable progress since January, when a wrong-way driver plunged off a freeway overpass in El Cajon, sending a chunk of a concrete guardrail crashing into Akeel’s skull. But his family needs help to fund his extensive rehab therapies, particularly since his mother lost her job caring for elderly patients due to putting Akeel’s needs first for his near-daily therapy appointments, and the bills are piling up.
“He’s going to need help forever,” Akeel’s grandmother, Jennifer Blocker, told ECM. She is asking for donations at a GoFundMe site, now that the projected costs for Akeel’s care have skyrocketed. “When the accident happened, my daughter was in the process of moving. She’s finally gotten into a place, but everything seems to keep snowballing.” She hopes that the public, who gave generously right after the accident, will help her daughter and grandson assure that his therapy sessions can continue, and help them afford other critical needs.
Akeel’s mother, Kayte Blocker, was preparing to celebrate her birthday in January when the accident occurred. Akeel’s father was driving his three children when the wrong-way driver’s vehicle burst into flames and sent concrete crashing into the family's van. He managed to pull two of his children to safety, but Akeel was slumped over, his head bleeding. First responders rushed him to Rady Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery for a fractured skull.
He was put into an induced coma to reduce brain swelling, and was diagnosed with torn ligaments and brain damage. No one knew if he would survive in those early hours.
Since then, Akeel has shown considerable improvement. He’s now at home with his mother, able to walk, though his right leg and arm are weak. He smiles, can eat soft foods, and enjoys pictures books. But he’s only speaking a few words, according to his mom, and the extent of his brain damage remains unknown.
"He will need to most likely plastic surgery when he gets older to fix the right side of his head," Akeel's mother told EC, adding that doctors told her he will be "special needs for the rest of his life."
“Every day, I’m trying to learn sign language,” his grandmother says.
Kayte’s vehicle was heavily damaged in the accident. Then while it was impounded, the impound lot “left it out in the rain, so it and everything in it is ruined,” Kayte’s mother explained.
The driver who caused the accident died in the fiery wreck, which also damaged several other vehicles. Kayte Blocker got another vehicle and began making payments, only to have the gap coverage reneged because the company later concluded the original vehicle wasn’t totaled, according to Akeel’s grandmother. So now covering the costs of vehicle payments, rent and utilities all on unemployment benefits is daunting.
Akeel's parents are separated and his father recently lost his job, though he visits and helps when he can. Kayte is raising Akeel as a single parent, along with three daughters. One just graduated high school and is headed off to college. Another is a high school senior, and the third is in sixth grade.
Jennifer Blocker says she feels empathy for all concerned. “I feel bad for the woman who passed in the accident,” she reflects.
But her deepest concerns are for her daughter and her grandson. Kayte worked five or more days a week caring for seniors before losing her job. She doesn’t know how she can find another job in her field due to the demanding hours of caring for Akeel.
Akeel is getting physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and behavioral assessments each week, as well as going to a classroom twice a week. Some days there are multiple appointments, in various parts of town.
"He has bad insomnia,"his mother says. "But in spirit he is a goofy and happy baby boy."
But his grandmother says, “He’s getting to an age where he wants to participate in everything, and he gets frustrated."She wants to do everything possible to give him the opportunities to recover as much as he possibly can.
“They don’t know how much he can recover. It’s just a big question mark for his future,” she concludes. “I’m his Grandma, and it hurts me so much.”
You can donate to help Akeel and his family at this link: GoFundMe.
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