CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW)-  In October 2019, Grayson Smith and his family  made a surprise pitstop in Clarksville, Tenn. and received a fun surprise from Bikers Who Care that fulfilled his wish “to see a bunch of motorcycles.”

The 6-year-old, Ala., boy was born with an extremely rare genetic disorder and had undergone 37 surgeries in his short life. The day his family stopped in Clarksville they were en route for pre-surgery appointments in St. Louis.

Grayson needed a risky surgery to correct issues from a severely curved spine that was crushing his lungs, stomach and other organs. Before he underwent the risky surgery, he had a wish list.

Grayson’s big surprise on Oct. 16, 2019, melted everyone’s heart as he smiled from the loud motorcycle engines revving. The family was showered with gifts from Bikers Who Care and embraced by the Clarksville community.

The Smith family knew the road ahead would be difficult.  With bravery, on November 27th, Grayson had his 38th surgery at a St. Louis hospital.

Unfortunately, he had severe complications and the surgery did not go as planned. The hardware placed in his back began to painfully bend and cause severe pain. Then Grayson contracted two on-site hardware infections, Serratia and staph epi inside his body, said Jenny Smith, his mother.

He underwent three more surgeries for the infection and is now on a central line and antibiotics.

On January 7, 2020, the Smith family was discharged from the hospital and traveled home to Alabama.

“He is on comfort pain management care at home and we are under continued care of his local team of doctors in Birmingham, Alabama who are aggressively doing all they can handling his care,” Jenny Smith said.

The family stays hopeful as they prepare for more appointments and hope he can soon return to school part-time with the doctor’s approval.

“We are probably looking at another back surgery in the future,” Jenny Smith said.

Despite being rightly upset at the outcome of his big surgery, Grayson continues to have a positive attitude.

“His spirit is very uplifting and positive as always. He doesn’t let anything get him down,” she said. ” … We want him to do everything he wants and enjoys and nothing is going to stop him. Grayson also has a birthday coming up next month which is so exciting!”

 

To follow Grayson’s progress and learn more about helping the Smith family follow Grayson’s Story on Facebook.