'The walking miracle': 13-year-old nearly recovered after being shot in the head three months ago in Sarasota
SARASOTA, Fla. - Doctors have nicknamed 13-year-old Aaron Hunter III "the walking miracle."
That's because back in June, he was shot in the head while playing outside. Now three months later, he's nearly fully recovered back to talking, walking and spending time with his family.
Aaron can't remember what happened back on June 22, but the scar on his head will forever be a reminder.
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"There was a kid that came to the door and said ‘hey AA [Aaron] has been shot,’" Aaron's mother Erica Dorsey said.
She raced to the backyard of a neighbor’s home in the 2900 block of Gillespie Avenue in Newtown. According to Aaron's mom, he was playing in the backyard of the home when he was shot.
It’s still unclear where the bullet came from. Aaron told FOX 13 his side of the story.
"All I remember is I was picking mangos with my friend, and we went back to the house and I just remember waking up in a hospital," Aaron said.
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Aaron was rushed to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital where he stayed for the next three weeks undergoing several surgeries.
"He could’ve been paralyzed. He could’ve been non-verbal. He actually could’ve been blind, but things just did not go that way. God saw fit for things to be different," Dorsey said.
Today, Aaron said his biggest blessing is just being able to walk again, talk with his mom, be outside and enjoy time with his family but said what he wants most is to play sports again.
"Whenever she gives me the okay," Aaron said.
Dorsey said, for now, they're taking it easy.
"His head is still healing. We are still not that far from when the incident happened, so we’ll probably give him a year," Dorsey said.
Even though it’s been three months, Dorsey said she’s still in disbelief and could’ve never imagined her son would become an innocent victim of gun violence.
"For people that do have guns in the home. Lock them up. Lock them up and educate your kids," Dorsey said.
As for the investigation, Sarasota police haven't released much information, but they said they are continuing to investigate and asking for tips.
As for Aaron's recovery, bullet fragments still remain in his head, so he'll never be able to get an MRI, only cat scans. He is now taking medication for seizures just as a precautionary measure, but is on track to make a full recovery.