Rayshon Cobb, 7, was shot in the head last Christmas when a drive-by shooter who’s never been caught fired into a friend’s home in his hometown of Gary, Ind. Rayshon has since made a miraculous recovery. NBC Chicago’s Lauren Petty tells his story.
Rayshon Cobb can shoot hoops like any 7 year old. It's hard to believe a few months ago his mother wasn't sure he would live.
"I was just praying that my son made it out of everything and everything would be OK," said Rachel Cobb, Rayshon's mother.
Rayshon was shot in the head last Christmas when a drive-by shooter who's never been caught fired into a friend's home in his hometown of Gary, Ind.
A bullet lodged in Rayshon's brain left him paralyzed on his right side and unable to speak when he arrived at La Rabida Children's Hospital for rehabilitation sessions.
"From Day 1, he wanted to work," said physical therapist Molly Swenson.
Rayshon spent nearly six weeks at La Rabida working with exercise balls and doing physical therapy for two hours a day. One his goals was to play baseball again.
Dr. Lisa Thornton said Tuesday the boy's young age, along with the path of the bullet and Rayshon's positive spirit, led to his extraordinary recovery.
"He really progressed beautifully while he was here, and one day more language came back," said Thornton, physiatrist at La Rabida Children's Hospital. "At first words and then sentences, until we see the little boy we have here."
For Rayshon, he just wants to be a 7-year-old kid.
"Sometimes I like to read and play and watch TV," he told reporters Tuesday.
Rayshon hasn't gone to school since the shooting, but plans to go back in the fall.
