The family of a 5-year-old boy thrown from a third-floor balcony at Minnesota's Mall of America earlier this month says he is still in intensive care and under sedation but that the public's "prayers are working," the AP reports. The short statement issued Tuesday said the boy has "an important week ahead with more milestones to accomplish" and that his family is "stay[ing] patient to allow him to heal." The family, which has asked for privacy, also said last week in a statement submitted to Minnesota Public Radio: "We have good news to share with you on this Good Friday. Our miracle child is showing real signs of recovery. New test results have been positive, though he remains in intensive care with a long road ahead."
And Mac Hammond, a pastor at the church the boy's grandparents attend, said during his Easter service that "doctors were amazed" the boy's injuries were more comparable to falling from a bike than from a third-floor balcony. Per Fox 9, Hammond said, "There was zero evidence of brain damage—there wasn't even swelling. No spinal chord injury, no nerve damage, no internal injuries that were life-threatening." But per the AP, R. Stephen Tillitt, an attorney for the boy's family, says he cannot confirm or deny Hammond's description because it would invade the family's privacy. A GoFundMe campaign for the boy has reached nearly $1 million. (The 24-year-old suspect in the April 12 attack was allegedly "looking for someone to kill.")
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