Five seconds, that’s all it takes for tragedy to shake a child’s world.

Tara Mitchell knows all about that, knows, too, the sting of pain she cannot forget.

The Auburn woman is the mother of Kyle, a shaken baby syndrome (SBS) survivor, abused by Mitchell’s first husband in 1999.

The man admitted to shaking his 6-month-old son violently, to throwing him and pushing down on his chest in a spasm of frustration.

He nearly killed his child, who stopped breathing en route to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, where doctors began extensive brain surgery to save his life.

“I saw him in his diaper, multiple tubes coming out his mouth, his head, his arms, and machines all around him,” Tara wrote on her website, nevershake.com, launched to raise awareness and support others whose children were victimized by SBS or abusive head trauma. “His head was completely bandages, and between all the tubing and gauze … all I could see was his closed eyes.

“I kept talking to him, kissing and rubbing his hand, and watching, and waiting for him to open his eyes.”

Kyle fell into a week long coma, but from time to time, he would reopen his eyes. He gradually recovered, but there was no undoing the damage.

Today, he is a happy, good-natured 11-year-old boy who enjoys computers, his friends and a family, which includes a caring stepfather, Ty, and his two children from a previous marriage. Kyle is what doctors categorize as a “high functional survivor”: He can run, walk, eat and do routine things, but he is learning delayed and socially challenged.

Tara maintains a bright outlook. Her son has made significant strides since those terribly difficult days as a baby.

“I am one of the lucky ones,” Tara said. “My son survived his assault … even though he still has developmental and behavioral challenges.”

When her son was injured, Tara was alone, looking for support and answers. Such an ordeal motivated her to launch her own website, become an active volunteer and supporter of child abuse education and prevention efforts.

Today, she is well versed in the SBS and abusive head trauma case community and has grown a national support network. She has become a voice at conferences, supported major fundraisers and advocated for more awareness and education in the fight against SBS.

Tara, a parent leader and member of the Washington State Shaken Baby Task Force, says much more work is needed to address a serious problem.

“Relatively speaking, most babies who are shaken, a third of them, die, another third have severe disabilities, and the rest have milder long-term effects,” she said.

Incidents grow in Washington, elsewhere

And the problem keeps spreading, especially here.

Rachel Berger, a child abuse specialist at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, studied 511 cases over five years in four hospitals – Seattle, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. Abuse increased in every city; the most dramatic increases were in Seattle and Pittsburgh, she said.

Berger suggests the recession may be provoking an increase in child abuse. The study finds that the SBS rate has nearly doubled since the economy collapsed.

The number of incidents in the state has increased more than 50 percent over the last couple of years in the Seattle area, another study said.

Such a disturbing trend keeps Tara and others hard at work supporting families with SBS/abusive head trauma survivors. The group has reached out to help those close by, including the Pacific family of Colby Thompson, an SBS survivor.

“That’s what we are trying to do, to outreach the families here in Washington, let them know they are not alone,” Tara said.

The task force is working to expand education as a way to prevent abuse. It is working with hospitals, agencies and groups to spread the word.

“And we need education in the schools before people become caregivers or babysitters or parents,” Tara added.

Families will be at the reading of the Washington State SBS Awareness Week Proclamation on the Senate floor on April 18.

A new campaign is under way, seeking volunteers to knit purple baby caps for distribution to newborns at hospitals in November. By knitting caps, the campaign will help educate parents about “purple crying” – a period when babies cry more than at any other time. A normal part of an infant’s development, it can become frustrating for young parents.

Families facing the stress of everyday life are not alone in the fight. More resources are available to them, just as Tara has discovered for herself.

“(The support network) is a way for us to speak out in our pain to save other children, and be thankful for ours,” she said.

“The slogan is ‘Have a plan, take a break, never shake.’ … Step away and call someone.”

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Vigil set for April 14

Children’s Advocacy Center of Pierce County, along with partnering agencies, invites the public to attend a child abuse awareness vigil 6-8 p.m. April 14 at the its center, located at the Safe and Sound Building, 1112 S. 5th St., Tacoma.

The vigil will be in front of the fountain by the entrance of Tacoma General and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.

The open house will include activities for the family.

April is National Child Abuse Awareness month.