New husband devotes himself to caring for wife’s ex, who suffered horror brain injury (Video)
A Texan husband moved in with his wife’s critically disabled ex and devoted himself to assisting in his care—even changing and bathing him.
James Armstrong, 36, wedded his wife Kris in 2016, but their union came with an unusual condition.
Kris, 38, serves as the legal guardian for her high school sweetheart and former spouse, 38-year-old Brandon, who sustained severe brain damage in a car accident two years following their 2006 nuptials.
Consequently, Brandon was left with significantly diminished mental and physical capacities, unable to tend to his own needs.
After years of attending to Brandon as his spouse, Kris felt the need to move forward with her life—but she was unwilling to abandon him. Thus, she divorced him and subsequently pursued legal guardianship.
Upon meeting Kris, James understood that Brandon would remain a part of their lives, and he readily embraced this, sharing with his wife the responsibility of caring for her ex-husband. "It’s not just loving her, it’s loving Brandon, too," James expressed to CBS Mornings. "He needs us. He needs people that love him."
The couple, together, tend to Brandon's every need—from assisting with personal hygiene to accompanying him to medical appointments. Kris emphasized James's invaluable support, stating, "James helps me, that is such a gift of love."
Their blended family also encompasses James and Kris’s children, who affectionately regard Brandon as their "uncle."
Despite the bonds they've formed, James admitted he would relinquish it all in an instant if there were a chance for Brandon's recovery. "He said if some miracle treatment happens for people with a brain injury and Brandon can be healed, he said I would want you to be with him, you were with him first," Kris recounted. "And I don’t think that’s gonna happen, but just the fact that, you’re a very special person, you really are," she affirmed to James during the CBS Mornings interview.
James maintains he’s just doing what he thinks is right.
“I do what my heart tells me to do,” he said.
James’ love for Brandon is so profound, he said he would still take care of him even if Kris was no longer around to do so herself.
Brandon now lives in a nursing home, but Kris and James regularly drop in to visit and take care of him, and document their life with him on their TikTok account.
Comentarios