A young boy hurled from the Tate Modern viewing platform in London is making significant improvements since the tragic incident, his family have said.
The French youngster, who was aged six at the time of the fall in August 2019, is now able to put his own splints on and play in the park.
His family revealed he has succeeded in making a new movement with his left ankle over the past two weeks after trying out swimming again.
“Indeed, he still can’t put his head underwater because of his swallowing difficulties. Our son has to start all over again from the beginning but that doesn’t scare him! He is so happy in the water!” they said.
The updates were posted on a GoFundMe page raising money for the boy’s medical costs so he can receive gold standard care and rehabilitation.
In other good news, he is also “standing more and more upright” after gaining muscle tone in his back, and has made enough progress in his right ankle for his doctor to decide to remove the splint from his right foot.
“Our son therefore only has two splints left, on the left foot and on the left hand. Little by little, his armour is disappearing!” the family said.
This week, the boy has also made his “first try at the school canteen”.
Image: Police, ambulance crews and fire crews are seen outside the Tate Modern after the incident
“He was very happy, even if he is still very sensitive to noise: he complained of “having earaches at the end of the meal,” the family said.
“For next week, his occupational therapist will lend him noise-cancelling headphones that he can put on whenever he needs to soothe his eardrums.”
He has also recently been able to celebrate his birthday for the first time with other children since the attack, whereby they all had a “great time together”.
Some periods have been “so difficult” in the boy’s road to recovery, the family said, though they continue to focus on the progress being made.
Image: Jonty Bravery admitted throwing the boy from the 10th floor at the Tate Modern
The child was thrown from height at the London art gallery by teenager Jonty Bravery, who is now serving a 15-year prison sentence for attempted murder.
Since then, the young boy has been recovering from life-changing injuries in his native France, with his family posting regular updates.
The GoFundMe page has so far raised €354,633 (£301,365) – surpassing its €200,000 (£169,959) goal.
