Tripp Halstead settles into new rehab room

The 2-year-old Winder boy recovering from a traumatic brain injury made a big move to begin his rehabilitation.

Tuesday marked a new day and a new hospital for Tripp Halstead. It's been three weeks since winds from Superstorm Sandy knocked a tree limb on Tripp's head. His new room at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite will likely be home for the next year.

That afternoon, the Halsteads told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh the move went smoothly and they are already settling in. They said rehab will be full steam ahead Wednesday.

"I put him on the stretcher, and they were gone. I mean, just like that, it was that fast," said Bill Halstead.

"They said that tonight, every night, they'll put a schedule in his room, and it will start at 8 in the morning," said Stacy Halstead. "And they will go right through 3 in the afternoon."

As Tripp and his parents prepare for a rigid therapy schedule, they are grateful for the continuous fundraising events put forth by the community. Channel 2 visited the latest fundraiser in Tripp's name at Casey's Doggs restaurant in Winder.

"We sat and cried the first second we heard about it. We knew we had to do something," said Casey's owner Suzy Humble.

On Tuesday, Casey's Doggs donated 100 percent of proceeds to the Halstead family. They are raising money to allow Tripp's mother to stay with him while he's in rehab.

Tripp has touched so many lives in Winder, even the police chief and the Barrow County sheriff partook in the fundraising efforts. They were running the hot dog grill.

"We all know that if something happened to our family, we could come together and so that's why we're here," said Sheriff Judd Smith.

"It just feels like we can do more here today than we actually could the day of the accident," said Chief Dennis Dorsey.

Casey's raised $2,500 after serving 400 people.

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WSBTV