The parents of the five-year-old Minnesota boy who was thrown from a Mall of America balcony earlier this year said their son is back in school and “walking perfectly.”
“There was one bad person, but from that came millions of good people,” the boy’s family said in a statement via a GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $1 million towards recovery efforts.
The young boy, identified only as Landen, was thrown from a third floor balcony at the Mall of America in April by a man who admitted he was “looking for someone to kill.”
“He came home with a limp and uneven legs from a two-time broken femur, an open wound on his belly we were taking care of every night, and many follow up appointments and medications,” Landen’s family said in a statement. “Since then he has had many physical therapies to work on his walking. Mom has been doing everything she can to speed up the healing of his wound and working toward getting off some of his medications. He is now walking perfectly with even legs.”
The family said Landen is back in school as a kindergartner and attends the same school as his sister and twin brother. The boy’s family said when his friends are hurt, he tells them: “Don’t worry, I fell off a cliff, but angels caught me and Jesus loves me, so I’m OK and you will be too.”
“He’s a strong, happy boy,” said the statement. “Landen loves life and Jesus.”
Landen suffered severe head trauma as well as leg and arm fractures from the 40-foot-fall, spending several months in the hospital and an inpatient rehab program to recover from his injuries.
“He has good memories of all the people who loved him and cared for him in the hospital, so to him follow-up appointments are fun,” the family said. “We have many coming up in December, so please keep praying. Landen knows people all over the world are praying for him and he loves all the cards he keeps getting in the mail.”
Emmanual Deshawn Aranda, 25, admitted to the April 12 attack and pleaded guilty in May to attempted first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison, but is appealing his conviction.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
