Luna Cajigas, 4, is a patient at Riley Hospital for Children. She’s now laughing, walking, and talking, all of which her mother, Lexus Burnette, feared she’d be unable to do again.
“I want to take her pain. I want to be able to heal her, but I can’t,” Burnette explained.
Luna was brought to Riley two weeks ago, unconscious and unresponsive.
Luna was under the care of her father and girlfriend in a west Indianapolis apartment.
According to court filings, Luna’s father told police that he found her soaking wet and described her as limp, like a rag doll.
Joshua Cajigas, 24, and his girlfriend, Mellie Jackson, 22, allegedly brought their daughter into the shower when she didn’t wake up.
At the hospital, doctors discovered cuts and bruises all over her body.
During his interactions with investigators, Cajigas allegedly stated that he and his girlfriend “whooped” the child with a belt around his legs and back. According to the documents, he informed police that a bookshelf had recently fallen on Luna.
However, doctors denied the story, stating that her injuries were too severe for that.
Luna sustained a brain hemorrhage as well as fractures to her jaw and just behind her eyes. Medical personnel had to remove pieces of her skull owing to pressure on her brain.
Jackson is now facing a single allegation of neglecting a dependent, resulting in serious physical injury. Cajigas faces the same charges, as well as domestic battery causing serious bodily injury and violence causing serious bodily harm.
“Watching her want to fight through it is motivating me to do the same,” Burnette added. “She is strong, and I don’t think I would have been okay without her. She wasn’t okay, but she is now and will be.
Luna is now up, walking, and even giggling.
Luna turned four earlier this week and celebrated with a party in her hospital room.
“She had a smile on her face, and that’s all that matters,” she added.
All signs point to her leaving the ICU soon.
Luna Cajigas persevered in a recovery that few believed possible.
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