The biological mother of a toddler injured in a foster home is supporting calls for a review of the foster care system in Alberta.
She also tells CTV News that her son is not likely to survive and never got the chance to enjoy his life.
"The doctors say they don't think he is going to make it but what we're doing right now is praying for a miracle for him because if he does make it, he'll never be the same."
The boy has been seen by a neurosurgeon who says the injuries are equivalent to being in a car crash.
Family members are upset they were told about his injuries more than 12 hours after the boy was taken to hospital.
The toddler has been in care for eight months in a home east of Calgary. His biological mother, who can't be named to protect the identity of the child, last saw him just over a month ago and says her son was sick.
The boy has a sister in the same foster home. The girl has been removed from the home until an investigation is complete.
Both police and the province are looking into the child's life-threatening injuries.
The case is raising more questions about the safety of children in Alberta's foster care system.
It is the third time in the last two years that the department of Children's Service has come under scrutiny.
In 2007, an Edmonton toddler was killed while in foster care.
Just this past January a four-year-old also died in protective care in Edmonton.
On Thursday, NDP MLA Rachel Notley brought the matter up in the Legislature.
Last year, an internal review into the foster program led to eight recommendations, including reducing the number of children allowed in a single home.
The NDP believes overcrowding could be partly to blame in this most recent incident and is calling for an independent public inquiry into Alberta's foster care system.
