A boy who was thrown from the 10th floor of the Tate Modern in London four years ago now uses his wheelchair only for longer outings, his family has revealed.
The French boy suffered life-changing injuries in the attack by teenager Jonty Bravery in August 2019. The child, who was then aged six and on holiday with his parents, survived the 30-metre fall, but suffered major injuries, including bleeding on the brain and broken bones. Bravery was convicted of attempted murder in 2020 and jailed for 15 years.
In an update on his recovery in a post on the child’s GoFundMe page, his family – who refer to the boy as “our little knight” – said he had made remarkable progress from last year’s summer holidays.
They wrote: “Our Little Knight is always fond of walks, steep paths and adventure, but he falls much less than last year. We still have to catch him, of course, but much less frequently. This makes outings much less tiring for us and more enjoyable for him.”
They also noted that he is now able to “bend down, squat, grab his toys and clothes with both hands from his closet without falling or dropping them”, and said, as a result, they were remodelling their house to better suit his “precarious walking”.
The boy’s parents also wrote that they had seen considerable improvement in their son’s cognitive development, including his ability to concentrate, saying that the 10-year-old could now watch a film and discuss it afterwards.
“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 said the boy – who could not speak or move in the weeks after the attack – continues to undergo intensive physiotherapy. His parents wrote that he calls his daily exercises his “Naruto training” – a reference to the anime ninja character Naruto, known for his willpower.
In the new academic year the boy will, for the first time, go to school every morning, and will attend group care and rehabilitation in the afternoons. “In short, we are preparing for ‘back to school’, full of hope,” they wrote. “He looks forward to meeting his friends again and showing them his new glasses, because his eyesight has improved further and he has just changed them!”
London nurse Vicky Diplacto, whose brother was paralysed after an accident overseas, set up a GoFundMe appeal to help the family. The page has raised more than €400,000 (£343,000) to aid with his recovery.
Introducing the update from the parents, she wrote: “I know so many of you remain so dedicated to his cause and find so much joy in reading his updates and news. Once again, thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for them.”
