Family says boy thrown from Mall of America balcony is out of intensive care
The family of a 5-year-old boy who was thrown from a balcony at the Mall of America in April announced that he has been removed from intensive care to undergo an inpatient physical rehabilitation program.
"There is hard work ahead! And, our beautiful boy has endured much already, but he is strong and his spirit remains vibrant,'' the family wrote Thursday on the online fundraising page for his medical expenses.
The family wrote that the boy, identified only as Landen, has been moved to a physical rehabilitation program at another hospital "to help him continue to heal and focus on the next phase of his recovery."
In late June, the family announced that Landen was on "a challenging road to recovery" after undergoing more than 15 medical procedures and surgeries.
The boy was thrown down about 40 feet from a third-floor balcony at the famous mall in Minnesota on April 12 by Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda, authorities said.
Aranda, 24, was sentenced to 19 years in prison on June 3 for first-degree attempted murder.
He told police he had come to the mall looking to kill someone after women there had rejected his advances. He randomly decided on the boy after initially targeting an adult.
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The family announced in late April that Landen was on the road to recovery after he was no longer in critical condition.
Two months later, they detailed his litany of injuries, writing that they included "surgeries for two broken arms and a broken leg, removal of his spleen, procedures for fluid in his lungs and stomach, as well as for facial and skull fractures; and just this past weekend, he had a stent placed in a vein that runs through his liver because of the serious complications he continues to endure."
An online fundraiser for the boy has raised more than $1 million in three months to help cover the medical bills for his numerous surgeries.
"We continue to be eternally grateful for every prayer, every act of kindness and the love this world has show us throughout this journey,'' his family wrote on Thursday.
