I don't know, but I think Nick is quite lucky...and that for the most part, what he's experiencing now is a type of trauma that will hopefully resolve itself over time...meaning, that for some reason, even with 4 bullets, the damage that was done is LESS than the body's ability to protect itself.
In some instances, when there is spinal trauma, the spinal cord responds by swelling, inflammation, and shutting down nerves. Over a period of 48-96 hours, feeling will return, beginning slowly, and then continue to return over a period of up to several years.
There are various modalities of treatment, but the most effective treatment starts within 5 hours of trauma. Steroids, cold therapy, anesthesia, and all sorts of other things are done to reduce the swelling, and return circulation, while allowing the spine NO movement.
It speaks highly of Nick's ER team, and trauma team, and surgery team, that he's beginning, right on time, to recover some feeling in his lower extremities. It also speaks to a lower level/chance of spinal trauma than say, a shattered vertebra, a shear force trauma in spine, neck or brain, or axonal trauma in his brain.
The neck is a very techical, complicated structure. In a very small area, a lot of things are going on; circulation, bone, nerve, breathing, vocal, swallowing, and a lot more happen in the neck, and considering Nick was shot in the neck, for him to still have verbal ability, breathing ability, intact circulation, possible swallowing...not to mention a head shot as well as a spine shot.
I'm gonna say that boy was being cared for by angels, and, unlike the other three boys, it was not Nick's time to go. Please God that he doesn't get an infection (bullets are VERY dirty things) or pneumonia...and that he can keep making progress.
Go, Nick! Keep on recovering...just keep taking it one moment at a time!
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Herding Cats
PS: I'm glad to read it's SOP to charge as a juvenile before adult charges are levied. That's reassuring.
lease: I have been so worried about him and for him.
