A twisting scar left behind after a bullet entered Aaron Hunter’s mind on June 22, 2023. After emergency surgical procedure at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, the surgeon warned that the 13-year-old’s skill to stroll, see and communicate may very well be affected. He spent weeks within the hospital adopted by eight months of bodily and occupational remedy.
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A twisting scar left behind after a bullet entered Aaron Hunter’s mind on June 22, 2023. After emergency surgical procedure at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, the surgeon warned that the 13-year-old’s skill to stroll, see and communicate may very well be affected. He spent weeks within the hospital adopted by eight months of bodily and occupational remedy.
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Aaron Hunter was 13 when he awakened within the hospital after being shot within the head whereas taking part in with buddies. The taking pictures occurred June 22, 2023 in Sarasota, Florida. The bullet entered simply above his proper ear and lodged midway into his mind.
He does not recall the taking pictures, and even bear in mind being round a gun, he mentioned. “All I bear in mind is I used to be choosing mangoes with a good friend, after which I went to a different good friend’s home, after which I bear in mind waking up within the hospital.”
Taken by helicopter to Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, neurosurgeon Dr. George Jallo rushed Aaron into the working room.
It took hours to manage Aaron’s bleeding and mind swelling, and to clear the particles from the bullet’s path — the fragments of bullet, bone and hair, Jallo mentioned.
Aaron survived the surgical procedure, however Jallo was nonetheless nervous: “I do know he is alive, however I do not know if he is going to have the ability to speak, I do not know if he won’t have the ability to transfer an arm or leg. Or I do not know if he is going to have the ability to see out of 1 eye.”
At bodily remedy, Aaron Hunter targeted on muscle energy, coordination and steadiness, particularly on the left facet of his physique, which is managed by the proper facet of the mind, the place the bullet penetrated. He was shot within the head on June 22, 2023.
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At bodily remedy, Aaron Hunter targeted on muscle energy, coordination and steadiness, particularly on the left facet of his physique, which is managed by the proper facet of the mind, the place the bullet penetrated. He was shot within the head on June 22, 2023.
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The medical workers who handled Aaron at All Kids’s mentioned it is a miracle that his restoration has gone so effectively. He wasn’t paralyzed, and realized to stroll once more — and in time to stroll into the constructing on his personal for the primary day of college final August.
Aaron may nonetheless see, however his peripheral imaginative and prescient was broken. And whereas he may stroll, his steadiness was nonetheless off, and he struggled with weak spot on one facet of his physique.
Aaron’s rehabilitation concerned months of bodily and occupational remedy, as much as 4 days per week. Generally, he needed to lower brief his college day, leaving early for appointments at All Kids’s outpatient facility in Sarasota.
“It burns,” he moaned throughout a remedy session in October, whereas mendacity on a sliding platform, toes up in opposition to a vertical plate. He was supposed to make use of his leg muscular tissues to thrust his physique backwards on the sliding platform, repeatedly.
The bodily remedy assistant, Whitney Walker, urged him to keep it up and full 20 reps. He was sweating and shaky, however he powered by means of.
Aaron had made super progress, Walker noticed. She began working with him simply six weeks after his surgical procedure. Again then, “he would fatigue fairly shortly proper after, I’d say, about 5 minutes,” she recalled.
Erica Dorsey at a bodily remedy appointment along with her son on Oct. 12, 2023. Aaron Hunter is recovering remarkably effectively after by accident getting shot within the head on June 22, 2023.
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Erica Dorsey at a bodily remedy appointment along with her son on Oct. 12, 2023. Aaron Hunter is recovering remarkably effectively after by accident getting shot within the head on June 22, 2023.
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Gun accidents and mortality amongst younger persons are growing within the U.S. Firearms are actually the main trigger of dying for kids and youngsters, whether or not that is from gun-related assault, suicide, or “unintentional” deaths (accidents). Analysis additionally signifies that nonfatal firearm accidents amongst minors are growing as effectively.
As devastating because the deaths are, it is estimated that 2-4 occasions as many U.S. kids survive a gunshot damage. However they will face life-long challenges reminiscent of incapacity, ache, psychological trauma and monetary burdens.
How was Aaron shot? It stays unclear
The Sarasota Police Division remains to be investigating what occurred within the June 22 taking pictures.
However Aaron’s mom, Erica Dorsey, strongly suspects the group of youngsters discovered a gun, and had been taking part in round with it when it went off.
The nightmare started when a neighborhood boy knocked on her door in a panic. Aaron had been shot, he advised her.
“I simply did not imagine it at first,” recalled Dorsey. “However then the child mentioned, ‘Do you hear these sirens?’ You can hear sirens within the distance.”
“And he mentioned, ‘You hear that? These are for him, they’re coming to choose him up!’ I used to be like, oh Lord.”
Dr. George Jallo is the neurosurgeon who operated on Aaron Hunter after he was shot within the head on June 22, 2023. Jallo is vice dean and physician-in-chief at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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Dr. George Jallo is the neurosurgeon who operated on Aaron Hunter after he was shot within the head on June 22, 2023. Jallo is vice dean and physician-in-chief at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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The pinnacle trauma that Aaron sustained was immense, Dr. George Jallo recalled.
“When somebody sustains a gunshot wound to the pinnacle, both: They are going to die en route. Two, there’s in all probability actually nothing for us to do. Or three, the decision is improper and [the bullet] may need simply grazed him.”
Estimates present an increase in gun-related accidents amongst youth
In 2023, Aaron was one in all 15 pediatric sufferers handled for gunshot wounds at All Kids’s. That represents a tripling from 2019, when the hospital handled 5 sufferers.
Three months into 2024, the hospital has already handled 5 younger sufferers for gunshot wounds.
“Actually we do not like that,” mentioned Dr. Chris Snyder, medical director for the pediatric trauma program at All Kids’s.
“Trauma is a kind of specialties the place we sort of need to work ourselves out of a job, if you’ll, of attempting to stop these sorts of accidents,” Snyder mentioned.
Florida is seeing a spike in such accidents, and so is the U.S. as an entire.
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention estimates that nonfatal firearm accidents amongst all U.S. kids and teenagers surged greater than 40% in 2020, and stay excessive.
Whereas many of the shootings concerned assaults or self-harm, some had been accidents, like Aaron’s gave the impression to be.
Dr. Chris Snyder leads the pediatric trauma program at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Snyder is alarmed by the current enhance in younger sufferers admitted with gunshot wounds.
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Dr. Chris Snyder leads the pediatric trauma program at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. Snyder is alarmed by the current enhance in younger sufferers admitted with gunshot wounds.
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However even unintentional gunshots can wind up being lethal, Snyder warned.
“You possibly can think about when you get a toddler that, you realize, finds grandpa’s handgun and in the event that they shoot themselves,” he mentioned. “We had a case the place a toddler was shot by means of the guts. No quantity of particular gear or coaching goes to save lots of the affected person at that time.”
The highway to restoration impacts bodily and psychological well being
Extra kids survive shootings than die from them.
And easily witnessing gun violence has been linked to post-traumatic stress dysfunction, anxiousness and different psychiatric points amongst kids, based on Nirmita Panchal, a senior coverage supervisor at KFF and creator of a current temporary on the topic. Being uncovered to gun violence may also disrupt schooling.
Survivors of gun accidents are sometimes left with ongoing disabilities, trauma and monetary burdens, Panchal added.
A current examine in Well being Affairs discovered youngsters with gun accidents are more likely to develop ache problems, psychological well being issues, and substance abuse. Medical prices for these kids elevated 17-fold within the yr after their damage.
The trauma can have an effect on all the household. The examine, which targeted on households with industrial medical insurance, discovered that oldsters of taking pictures survivors skilled a 30% enhance in psychiatric problems, and the moms had 75% p.c extra psychological well being visits. Dad and mom and siblings additionally acquired much less routine medical care.
Erica Dorsey agreed that her son’s taking pictures was disruptive in a number of methods, and regardless of his progress, the ripples proceed to be felt. Aaron was in intensive look after about three weeks after his surgical procedure. He was discharged from the hospital in July, however months later the damage nonetheless dominated their lives.
“It is exhausting as a result of it is like remedy, docs appointments – it is the observe up,” she mentioned.
Transferring round was actually robust at first, Aaron mentioned.
“I’d say the toughest half was getting again to strolling, that was the toughest,” he mentioned.
Months of remedy and ongoing medical monitoring
As a result of traumatic mind accidents can have an effect on all the physique, Aaron needed to re-train many muscle teams, based on Whitney Walker, the bodily remedy assistant.
Over time, Aaron’s steadiness improved. Throughout one bodily remedy session, he needed to stand on a wobbly platform whereas bouncing a ball off a trampoline. In one other train, he balanced in a push-up place whereas attempting to regular rubber balls within the middle of a disc.
There have been moments of bodily discomfort that compelled him to pause, however he pushed himself to maintain going — and typically selected the tougher possibility throughout sure workouts. And he saved Walker and his mother laughing with a humorousness all through.
“I believe the most important factor is having such a robust household dynamic, and with Aaron having such a following behind him, I believe that has motivated him to proceed to work tougher,” Walker mentioned.
In February, about eight months after the taking pictures, Walker discharged Aaron from bodily remedy, although he nonetheless has common follow-ups with the medical staff at All Kids’s.
Aaron Hunter doing bodily remedy at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital’s outpatient middle in Sarasota on Oct. 12, 2023. After getting shot within the head final June, Aaron struggled with weak spot and steadiness on the left facet of his physique. He spent months in bodily remedy earlier than being discharged in February.
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Aaron Hunter doing bodily remedy at Johns Hopkins All Kids’s Hospital’s outpatient middle in Sarasota on Oct. 12, 2023. After getting shot within the head final June, Aaron struggled with weak spot and steadiness on the left facet of his physique. He spent months in bodily remedy earlier than being discharged in February.
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Aaron nonetheless has a bullet fragment inside his mind. It was too harmful to take away as a result of it is close to a vital blood vessel, Jallo mentioned. Leaving the fragment in place places Aaron in danger for seizures, so he takes treatment to stop them.
At his 14th celebration final month, household and buddies wore t-shirts that mentioned “#AaronStrong.” They invited a couple of Sarasota cops to affix the celebration, based on a submit on the division’s Fb web page.
Erica Dorsey mentioned she thanks God every single day that Aaron is alive. However she always remembers that many different households affected by gun violence fared worse.
“I simply really feel like all probability that I can, I will get up for the mothers whose youngsters did not make it,” she mentioned, “who needed to bury their kids over one thing so mindless, and one thing that is so avoidable.”
Dorsey now spends time as a neighborhood activist, telling dad and mom who personal weapons to retailer them safely and educating kids in regards to the harms they will trigger.
Aaron says he is staying away from weapons, and different youngsters ought to too.
