Amanda Skorjanc, a survivor of a landslide that killed 43 people in Oso, Washington, last year is speaking out about the ordeal she went through with her infant son, Duke Suddarth, who at 5 months was the youngest survivor of the tragedy.
"I live with it every day,"
Skorjanc told King 5 News. "I think about who was at the house next door and I think about everyone that passed, and I remember the pain I was in and what I was thinking when it hit."
Duke survived, wrapped in his mother’s arms as the landslide swept them away 600 feet. The infant was blue and covered in dirt when he was rescued and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Skorjanc still deals with pain from her injuries, which included a broken arm and broken ankle, and Duke suffered a skull fracture, for which he may have to have another surgery, but his recovery has defied the odds, King 5 said.
"He's the reason I do everything. Everything. The second I see him, I smile, every morning. No matter how much pain I'm in, I look at him and I smile," Skorjanc told King 5 News.
The tiny boy has become a hero for the community, which has celebrated his milestones.
Twitter users were touched by the story.
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