Garland, Texas - Tomorrow is the 7-year anniversary of the worst day of the Stuyvesant family’s lives, but also the beginning of a miraculous battle with a happy ending. On June 10, 2015, Eric Stuyvesant, a well-seasoned father of eight, made an unthinkable mistake. After a change in his daily routine, he forgot his then three-year-old son, Michael, in the back of the family van, nearly costing the child his life.
When Stuyvesant realized his mistake nearly 90 minutes later, he rushed to the vehicle to find Michael breathing but cyanotic and unresponsive. Paramedics arrived on the scene and transported Michael to the hospital where it was revealed that he had suffered six strokes affecting every area of his brain. Michael would spend the next ten days in the hospital followed by four weeks in intensive rehab. Nearly seven years later Michael has made a full recovery and enjoys the activities of any ten-year-old boy.
Prior to the accident Stuyvesant was certain this type of mistake could never happen to him. He was so adamant in his belief that he would viciously chastise anyone who indicated otherwise.
From the Inside Out: A Reckoning and Redemption is more than a cautionary tale that this type of tragedy can occur to anyone. It is a story of Michael’s unexplainable and miraculous recovery from his traumatic brain injuries, and a raw emotional account of Stuyvesant’s battles with guilt, grief and depression.
Stuyvesant will be speaking across Texas this summer advocating for occupant detection in all new vehicles and support of his new book.
Author Quote: “Summer is just around the corner and it’s not a matter of if, but when we will hear of another child dying in a hot car. Hot car tragedies have no prejudice. It has happened to firefighters, doctors, lawyers, police officers, judges and more. It can happen to you.”
Bio: Eric Stuyvesant is a father of eight, a business owner and a vocal advocate for KidsAndCars.org.
