CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW)- Evianna Burke was born on March 19, 2013, a happy, healthy baby girl.
However, at just 2.5 months old, she was severely abused by her adult cousin who was her babysitter. She now suffers from multiple permanent health issues.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention month, and Lelia Burke, her mother, wants to spread awareness and bring attention to the issue of child abuse and how it can forever change a child.
“She was born healthy. She was a normal baby,” Lelia said. “But Evianna was abused and had severe neurological damage, retinal hemorrhaging and bleeding to the brain. She had to be resuscitated to save her life.”
Now, 7-years-old, Evianna continues to suffer yet thrive as a result of child abuse. She was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury, cerebral palsy, visual impairment and epilepsy.
“I want people to understand the severity of their actions,” Lelia said. “I want people to take from this that all of our children matter and no child should ever have to go I want them to know she matters. Anyone who has been abused physically, mentally, sexually…that’s what awareness is about. We are all human beings and these are our children. We need to protect and speak for our children. Evianna can’t speak so I’ll be her voice. I want everyone to see the severity of child abuse.”
A mother’s nightmare
On June 12, 2013, Lelia Burke left her then 2 1/2-month old daughter, Evianna, with her adult cousin, Savannah Humphrey.
The single mother of two was returning to work and trusted her then best friend and cousin.
“This woman I grew up with her. We were best friends. She helped me move from Paducah to Clarksville. We hung out with each other. I trusted her.”
While at work, Lelia received a disturbing emergency phone call.
“It was her husband and he said, ‘You need to get to the hospital now! Evianna stopped breathing!’” Lelia said. “I dropped the phone and ran. My supervisor drove me to the hospital. When I got there, I didn’t know what was going on. She was having seizures. I’d never seen a seizure before.”
Due to the nature of Evianna’s severe injuries an investigation began with the Department of Children Services and Clarksville Police. Lelia was not allowed to ride with her daughter as she was transported to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
“When I got there and seen Evianna, a nurse walked in behind me,” Lelia said. “The doctor asked me what happened. I said, ‘I don’t know!’ The doctor said she has a skull fracture and she was bleeding on her brain. I literally passed out. They had to bring me back.”
As the investigation went on, her other daughter Neveah, now 8, was taken into custody and placed with her mother.”I couldn’t be alone with Evianna for about a month or two. They finally released me once they figured out who did it,” Lelia said. “It was horrible. I can remember everything that happened that day It’s just embedded in my mind. It’s been going on like that for seven years.”
Lelia never got an honest answer to the question what happened to Evianna. She called Humphrey the day it happened.
“I asked her “What happened!?,” Lelia said. “ I just don’t know what happened. What made her snap. The only thing she told me was a couple of different stories.”
Lelia said her cousin told her and police multiple versions of what happened to Evianna.
“She told me she was feeding her and Evianna started choking and when she went to wipe the throw it off her face, Evianna wasn’t’ breathing,” Lelia said.
Additionally, a neighbor said she and Humphreys were outside smoking, when a child began yelling and Humphreys ignored the child. The neighbor went inside Savannah’s home and saw Evianna laying on the ground.
“There are stories that she rolled off the couch, rolled off the bed, and even a child hurt her,” Lelia said.
Savannah Humphries was charged and found guilty of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, to serve 17 year in October 2014.
Humphrey’s has appealed her case on allegations she had incompetent representation. She is asking for a new trial.
“If she gets a new trial, we go through it all over it again,” Burke said. “She needs to do her time. She took my child’s life. She destroyed my child’s life. She only got 17 years and she needs to do all 17 years. She doesn’t deserve to get out. I’ll be lucky if Evianna is alive in 17 years. By the grace of God, I hope she is.”
Still Smiling
Evianna, 7, a first-grader at Kenwood Elementary, does Homebound schooling twice a week. Her sister, Nevaeh, 8 is in 3rd grade.
Her mother and sister continue to give her love and attention daily.
Lelia said life consists of good days and bad days for Evianna.
A typical day for Evianna may consists of excessive crying due to in pain, irritable and wanting to be with her mom.
“When we have bad days not even I can calm her down,” Lelia said. “On really bad days nothing will console her. She cries all day long.”
But there are some days when all Evianna does is smile.
“Majority of the time, Evianna is always smiling,” Lelia said. “Her smile can light up a room. She lights my world up. She’s an amazing child for everything she’s gone through… Those are great days when she’s happy all day. She’s smiling and the brightest kid in the world. She will randomly laugh at everything. Everything she can laugh at she laughs.”
Caring for Evianna is an around the clock task and Lelia had to stop working to be able to give her meds three times a day, tube feed her five times a day, and take her to her numerous therapy and doctors appointments.
“It’s hard and frustrating. I get sad, because I have to watch her go through this every single day. It hurts me,” she said. “It’s a struggle physically and mentally. I have to do what I have to do and be strong for my kids. If I’m not, who will be.”
Despite her prognosis of never being able to sit up, stand or walk, Evianna has made small milestones.
“ She can sit up by herself. She can’t feed or dress herself, but there are little milestones she’s done,” Lelia said. “She is a fighter. She’s my hero. For everything she’s been through, she’s still fighting.”
