I'm trolled for leaving my husband after he ended up in a wheelchair – he's in a care home while I'm remarried with kids
LOVE WINS I'm trolled for leaving my husband after he ended up in a wheelchair – he's in a care home while I'm remarried with kids
KRIS Armstrong was one of the lucky ones, after finding her best friend and husband at the age of 16.
But her life soon turned upside down at the age of 23, when she got a phone call on her way to work.
3
Kris Armstrong with her first husband Brandon
Credit: tiktok/@followmetothemouse
3
Kris decided to divorce Brandon after a car accident left him with PTA
Credit: tiktok/@followmetothemouse
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Her husband, Brandon Smith, had been involved in a car accident and by the time she arrived at the hospital, he was already in a coma.
When he woke up two months later, the Brandon she knew was gone.
Brandon woke up with post-traumatic amnesia and now needed constant care.
The pair, from Texas, had both planned to start a family after getting married at the age of 22, but those plans were now unachievable.
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"His memory, which really he's never fully gotten out of...was like 10 seconds long. This is when it really became clear that I went from being a wife to a caregiver," Kris told CBS.
"When someone has a severe traumatic brain injury in a big way, you lose that person, but you gain somebody new," she said.
"And it took me a long time to realise that."
Kris decided to quit her job and become Brandon's full time carer, even changing jobs to become a speech pathologist to help them communicate.
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But after years of trying, it was clear that the severity of Brandon's injuries meant their relationship had changed and Kris filed for divorce to become his legal guardian instead.
"I had made vows that I would be with him in sickness and health, and I took that very seriously," Armstrong said.
Heartbreaking tributes to Brit woman, 43, killed in jet ski crash at Costa Del Sol resort
"I didn't stay married to him, but I wanted to take care of him."
Kris took care of all of his appointments, his health insurance and financial matters and vowed to be there for the rest of their lives.
In a TikTok clip, Kris revealed that she soon 'drowned' as she tried to keep up with Brandon's care needs.
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Despite having a huge support group, it became too much and Kris had to make the painful decision to place Brandon into a care home.
Kris was by his side the whole time, even in 2014, when Kris met her now-husband James Armstrong, she kept her promise.
She told James about the situation and he was fully onboard with having Brandon in their lives as well.
When the pair first met, Brandon even asked James if they could have a beer together, helping to solidify their bond.
3
Kris' second husband James is also there for Brandon
Credit: tiktok/@followmetothemouse
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FAMILY FOR LIFE
Now, Kris and James are married with small kids, and also look after Brandon and keep him included in the family.
A recent TikTok video saw Kris pick up Brandon so he could celebrate her 41st birthday with them.
In the clip, Kris takes Brandon out to lunch, assisting him with eating and drinking, and later shares cake with him back at home.
At one moment in the video, Kris shares a sweet clip of James, who can be seen hugging Brandon and giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks for hanging out with me on my birthday," Kris says to Brandon, who responds in kind by mouthing "I love you" back.
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But despite Kris' determination to keep Brandon in her life over the last 16 years since his accident, trolls cruelly slam her for divorcing him in the first place.
One wrote: "She divorced him when he got into the accident. Let's not pretend she's a saint please. He has to watch her with her new husband and children after she abandoned their marriage because it didn't suit her."
Another penned: "Through sickness and health… but you divorced him and put him in a home."
"He's looking at you like he wants you everyday. So sad when people leave their spouse when illness hits," commented a third.
In the past, Kris and Brandon have addressed the negative comments, saying they'd rather share it and help others in similar situations than keep it bottled up.
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Kris wrote: "We can choose to bottle up what we go through in fear of being judged but then we don't get the beautiful benefit of community."
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