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5 years after life-changing accident, Tripp Halstead 'doing awesome'

October 29, 2012 started off like any other day for Stacy Halstead. She dropped off her 2-year-old son, Tripp, at a Winder, Ga. daycare and drove to work.

It's been nearly five years since an accident changed the lives of the Halstead family.

October 29, 2012 started off like any other day for Stacy Halstead. She dropped off her 2-year-old son, Tripp, at a Winder, Ga. daycare and drove to work.

At 11 a.m., the phone call came.

“They said Tripp had an accident and I needed to come right there,” she recalled. “I didn’t even ask how bad it was. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘Great, he broke his arm or leg,’ nothing tragic.”

As she drove back, another call came. This one told her that Tripp had been taken to the hospital.

Tripp had been playing outside when a large branch broke from a tree and landed directly on his head. He was knocked unconscious.

For a time, it appeared as if Tripp wouldn't survive. Doctors told the parents that his brain had swollen, causing his body to shut down.

By this time, thousands of people began following Tripp's story.

Over the next few months, the number of followers to Tripp Halstead Updates Facebook page would grow to millions as Tripp was released from the hospital and continued to show incredible progress.

As the anniversary of the accident approaches, Tripp's other Stacey shared a video taken just days before the fateful day, writing, "Time is a crazy thing. I’m just so thankful that Tripp is still here and giving me more joy than I could have ever imagined. I love him more every single day. He is my world and I’m so proud of him."

On Friday, Stacy posted a new update, saying that Tripp is "doing awesome".

"I do show videos to Tripp of him before the accident but I honestly don’t think he even knows it is him," Stacy wrote. "It’s been 5 years. I have trouble remembering what Tripp could and couldn’t do at two.

"Plus I don’t want him to be sad at what he used to be able to do. This is his life now and he is doing so great."

Photos | Tripp Halstead through the years

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