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Jackson Skarka’s family said the incident happened Monday, May 8, at their Saratoga County home in Ballston Spa.
“While Paul was inside doing computer work and Chelsea was showering before heading to her birthday dinner, their son Jackson got messing around with a friend who was mowing their lawn and ended up with his foot underneath the lawnmower,” reads a GoFundMe created to help with medical bills.
Jackson was airlifted to Albany Medical Center after losing three toes and “about half” of his right foot.
Since then, the boy has undergone over a half dozen orthopedic and plastic surgeries, including a skin graft. Doctors also implanted pins in his remaining toes and put an external fixator to stabilize his soft tissue.
“We have a long road ahead of surgeries to keep learning about the damage and future and a very long recovery ahead,” his mother Chelsea Thomas-Skarka wrote on Facebook.
“But let me tell ya - this kid is the BRAVEST and STRONGEST kid I’ve ever met. He has stayed calm throughout everything and has a positive attitude already.”
Jackson was kept in good spirits throughout his hospital stay with plenty of activities fit for an energetic second-grader, including video games, a Minecraft scavenger hunt, bubbles in the courtyard, and video calls with friends and family, his mom said.
He also received dozens of cards from his classmates in the Schuylerville Central School District.
“To say Jackson feels the love is a huge understatement!!!” Thomas-Skarka wrote on Facebook.
Finally, after more than a week in the hospital, Jackson was released from inpatient care on May 22.
Thomas-Skarka said she’s gotten in the habit of showing pictures of Jackson’s injuries to those who will be around him so they can “mentally prepare.”
“It helps us to get used to our new norm. Because it IS our new norm,” she wrote on Facebook.
“There’s no going backwards and Jackson is amazing in his ability to adapt and learn. We’ve always said this kid is gonna change the world. And believe it or not, this whole experience has just made me think it’s truer than ever.”
According to GoFundMe organizer Lisa Wadsworth, funds raised will help cover the “intense” medical bills coming their way, along with the costs of prosthetics.
“We thank everyone for their love and support and ask for directed prayers of healing, protection from infection and for the mental health of the entire family as they navigate this,” she said.
The fundraiser had collected more than $10,000 as of Friday, June 9. Those who wish to donate can do so here.
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