Boy thrown from Tate Modern balcony walking with cane and relying on wheelchair less
The French youngster was six when he was badly hurt in an attack at the tourist attraction in 2019
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Your support makes all the difference.A boy thrown from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern art gallery now uses his wheelchair only for longer outings, his family has revealed.
The French youngster was six when he was badly hurt in an attack by teenager Jonty Bravery at the London tourist attraction four years ago.
The child, who was on holiday with his parents in August 2019, survived a 100ft (30m) fall but suffered life-changing injuries, including a bleed on the brain and broken bones.
His family, who call him notre petit chevalier – our little knight – said, in an update posted on a GoFundMe page which has raised more than 400,000 euros (£343,000) for his recovery, that their house is being adapted for his “precarious” walking.
The youngster, who spent months in intensive care, has also developed a passion for green issues.
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Boy thrown from Tate Modern begins to walk again
“He reinvests what he learned this year at school, in particular to protect the planet: he does not forget to remind us to turn off the lights, to save water and collect all the trash he finds on the beach or in the forest,” his family said.
“We always have to have a bag on hand!”
The family added: “Our son is now able to bend down, squat, grab his toys and clothes with both hands from his closet without falling or dropping them.
“More importantly, he now only uses his wheelchair for long outings.
“We are therefore rearranging the house to adapt it to its new mode of travel: precarious walking.”
They said that, during a summer spent in the mid-mountains, he has enjoyed walking with his cane, and although he “falls a lot” this happens much less than last year.
He has been able to visit an indoor adventure park with an adapted high rope course, which he loves and where specialised instructors take turns to accompany him.
He also undergoes intensive physiotherapy and calls his daily exercises his “Naruto training” – a reference to the anime ninja character Naruto, who is known for his willpower.
“It’s a lot of work but our son loves it, his efforts pay off and he calls it his ‘Naruto training’,” the family said.
The child is preparing for the new school year, and will now attend each morning, with group care and rehabilitation in the afternoons.
His memory is progressing, and he has been able to try watching movies with his family, which was previously too exhausting.
“We also took advantage of this summer to try watching films again as a family. Until now, it was too tiring for our son and he didn’t remember anything from it, but it’s finally starting to improve,” his family said.
Autistic teenager Bravery was in supported accommodation at the time of the attack but allowed out unsupervised.
He intended to select and kill someone, a court was later told.
Bravery, who was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was jailed in 2020 for 15 years.
London nurse Vicky Diplacto, whose brother was paralysed after an accident overseas, set up the GoFundMe appeal to help.