On August 11, 2019, 4-year-old Sincere was about 25-minutes away from his Georgia-home visiting with family for the weekend when tragedy struck.
It was a Sunday morning and Sincere had spent the last two nights sleeping over his cousins having the time of his little life. Everyone was eating breakfast together, included Sincere whose plate included a few juicy and delicious grapes. Unaware of the seemingly harmless fruit, Sincere proceeded to eat them without chewing appropriately and accidentally swallowed one of the grapes whole, causing it to get lodged in his windpipe.
His family quickly jumped into action and attempted the Heimlich Maneuver on him but the grape was dangerously and firmly wedged in place. Sincere’s aunt called 911 but was frustrated with the time they had to wait for the ambulance, so they quickly drove him to a nearby children’s hospital where he arrived without a heartbeat.
At the hospital, the ER team was able to get the grape out with a special suction device but he was without oxygen for well over 30 minutes. The lack of oxygen caused extensive global brain damage and doctors didn’t know if he’d survive the night. Two years later, Sincere has proven to be the ultimate fighter as he continues to battle the long-lasting effects of his brain injury.
Sincere comfortably lounging in his new P-pod chair donated by Holton’s Heroes.
Sincere is being raised by an incredible woman, his mother Shay, who works tirelessly to provide for him. Shay has the help of her mother Stephanie, and lots of family members, who all shower him with endless love.
The women in Sincere’s life stop at nothing to make sure he continues to receive the therapy required for a better future. However, due to the pandemic and the lack of home health nursing aides currently available, Shay hasn’t been able to accept a full-time work position as she must stay home and care for her son.
This lack of income makes it hard for families like Shay’s to afford the simplest of devices for her medically complex son. While Shay has set her goals on getting Sincere to regain his ability to swallow and hold his head up, she has also been hoping for a seating device at home that Sincere can be more comfortable in. Insurance has denied her request multiple times, so we stepped in and made this modest request happen.
Thanks to supporters around the country, Holton’s Heroes was able to purchase Sincere his very own P-pod chair that is custom made for children like him. It has a specially formed seat that sits perfectly on a large beanbag-like chair and gives him endless seating options in any room in the house.
After speaking with Shay’s mom, we agreed it was important for Sincere’s story to be a reminder to parents everywhere to cut up all grapes before giving them to young children. The same goes for other foods like hotdogs, carrots and anything larger than a dime in circumference. Be safe and be a hero!
“I just want to say, thank you so much! We received the P-pod chair today. Sincere has been sitting so comfortably in it. We love it!”
Check out some of our other heroes from this year
“Tonight, we feel the power of humanity in a bath chair. Go figure. Some people feel excited about cars and other luxuries, but here I am just wanting my boy to be bathed safely,” Joshua mom wrote to us after her son received his gift from Holton’s Heroes.