Woman reveals how she cares for disabled ex husband with new spouse

Woman, 38, whose husband sustained traumatic brain injury just two years after they wed reveals how she made agonizing decision to divorce him – but still cares for him every day with the help of her second spouse

• Kristen Armstrong, 38, shared her family’s incredible story with Today.com
• Her former husband Brandon Smith sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2008
• Armstrong filed paperwork to be his legal guardian and continues to care for him

A woman whose husband sustained a severe traumatic brain injury has opened up about how she continues to care for her former spouse with the help of her second husband. 

Kristen Armstrong, 38, had her life change in an instant when her husband Brandon Smith was T-boned by a commercial truck in 2008. Smith, who was 24 at the time, was in a coma for two months. 

‘Even though Brandon’s doctors warned me that if he did wake up, he would be forever changed because of his severe traumatic brain injury, I held onto hope that a miracle would happen and he’d be the same Brandon,’ she told Today.com. ‘But he wasn’t.’

The high school sweethearts were just two years into their marriage, and Armstrong couldn’t imagine her life without her ‘rock.’ 

Kristen Armstrong, 38, and her husband James Armstrong, 36, (left) care for her former husband Brandon Smith (center), who sustained a severe traumatic brain injury 

Armstrong and Smith were high school sweethearts and married in their early 20s 

The former couple was two years into their marriage when Smith was in a car accident that would change their lives forever 

Smith, a former auto mechanic, needed around-the-clock care and was moved into a nursing facility in Texas. 

Armstrong recalled being ‘hit by this train of sadness every morning’ while she struggled with the complicated feelings of ‘grieving a living person.’  

The speech pathologist had always wanted children, and she made the difficult decision to file for divorce after she realized Smith would never recover from the accident. 

However, she vowed to take care of her former husband until the day he died and filed paperwork to become his legal guardian. 

The judge had concerns about what would happen when she remarried and had children, but she insisted she was ‘not going anywhere.’ 

Armstrong feared she would never find anyone who would love both her and Brandon until she met her second husband James Armstrong in 2014.

The first time that James met Smith, all three of them went to church together. She met James’s son from a previous relationship around the same time. 

When the couple wed in 2015, Armstrong vowed to love her stepson as her own, while James promised to love and care for Brandon. 

Smith, a former auto mechanic, was T-boned by a commercial truck in 2008

Smith, who was 24 at the time, suffered sustained a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for two months

Smith needed around-the-clock care and was moved into a nursing facility in Texas. Armstrong made the difficult decision to file for divorce after she realized Smith would never recover 

Armstrong vowed to take care of her former husband until the day he died and filed paperwork to become his legal guardian

‘And he has,’ she said. ‘James helps in whatever ways he can. He never complains, he’s never uncomfortable. And I think that’s a huge thing. Some of the stuff that comes out of Brandon’s mouth is a little crazy, and he can’t toilet on his own. But none of that bothers James.’

Armstrong and James also have two daughters together, and she said all three children adore ‘Uncle Brandon.’

The couple takes Smith out to restaurants and brings him to their home every week.

Armstrong has been sharing her family’s incredible story on TikTok, where she has nearly 100,000 followers. 

She revealed in a recent post that Smith has taken to calling her his ‘little sis’ while sharing how their relationship has evolved. 

The mom went viral after sharing a heartwarming video of James lovingly feeding Smith while they were dining at a restaurant. 

Armstrong feared she would never find anyone who would love both her and Brandon until she met her second husband James in 2014

When Armstrong and James wed in 2015, he vowed to love and care for Smith. ‘He’s like one of our kids, we love him the same,’ James said 

Armstrong recently went viral on TikTok after sharing a heartwarming video of James lovingly feeding Smith while they were dining at a restaurant

So grateful for this man who not only chose me but chose B too💚🥺 #familyiswhatyoumakeit #agoodmanishardtofind #agoodman #family #goodhumans #tbicaregiver #tbicaregivers #caregiversoftiktok #fyp

‘I once thought I would never meet somebody who could love me and love Brandon. I mean who’s gonna wanna take on somebody who still loves their former husband? But James surpassed all my dreams I had of how a future partner could love Brandon,’ she said in a voiceover. 

‘James has never expressed or shown any jealousy. He’s never questioned my unwavering love for Brandon or given pause to the role B plays in our family. Instead, he’s accepted Brandon with wide open arms. I’ve overheard him proudly sharing the story of our family and how Brandon fits in it.’

The video has been viewed more than 7.3 million times and has received nearly 9,000 comments. 

‘This is what the meaning of real love is,’ one person wrote. 

‘Your husband is 1 in a million,’ someone else responded. ‘I don’t know many men or women that would do that!’ 

James, 36, opened up about his relationship with Smith in another video, saying he is a part of their family.  

‘He’s like one of our kids, we love him the same,’ he explained as his eyes welled up with tears. ‘He’s a central part of our family. He’s a central part of our life.’ 

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