Pitbull attack victim Alejandro Mizsan was embraced by his mother when he returned home from hospital on Tuesday after seven weeks as his older brother told us: "The nightmare is over, today is a dream for us."
The Irish Mirror was invited into the Mizsan home in Enniscorthy, Wexford as neighbours and friends called over to welcome nine-year-old Alejandro back.
Although he was not expected to be released from Crumlin Children's Hospital for another few weeks, medics gave the go-ahead which left his family overjoyed.
His older brother Raul told us: "We're just very happy to have him home here. He's just a very brave boy. He's delighted to be home too.
"It's very emotional. I never felt like how I felt today just to have my brother back home. The nightmare is over. Today is a dream for us."
Alejandro was hugged and kissed by his mum Otilia as he arrived home with his dad Ion Florin while Raul and younger sister Estera were also there for the homecoming.
Alejandro was playing on the green of his estate with some friends when a crazed dog attacked him on November 27.
He suffered life-changing injuries, with the dog - which was later put down - tearing off his bottom lip and mauling each of his cheeks as well as injuring the boy's body and legs.
He was airlifted to Dublin and was in hospital until Tuesday.
Over €178,000 has been raised in a GoFundMe for Alejandro but it remains open for people to contribute.
Explaining the importance of the fund, Raul said: "This money - we wish this money was not something we need. We wish my brother was back as he was. But this has happened and the money has been raised. But it's extremely helpful for us.
"Even with the money raised so far, we are so grateful for everyone's donations, but it's still not enough. It's huge money but it's not enough money."
The fundraiser can be accessed here.
Shy Alejandro explained that the stretch in the hospital was very long but said the staff there were "all very nice."
And as the young lad prepared to leave there, doctors and nurses came out to him to say goodbye.
Raul, 21, told the Irish Mirror: "It was something very nice from them. All the nurses and doctors came out and hugged him and said goodbye to him.
"They were so sound to him. It was something to remember. When you are looking back at a very, very bad memory - his time in hospital - we will now have a good memory about it.
"When we're thinking and Alejandro is thinking, 'hospital was such a bad place', we can now look back at a good memory."
Raul, who recently got a tattoo in honour of his younger brother, explained how the family have endured a traumatic time since the incident, with Alejandro having to spend Christmas and New Year's in hospital.
But they are "very grateful" it did not claim his life and they are now aiming to integrate him back into normal day-to-day things before he undergoes more surgery.
Raul explained: "I didn't have my words to describe how thankful I was that he was alive when it happened. And now I can't find any to say how happy we are that he's back. He's home and we can restart life again.
"Obviously it's kind of hard. We're not going to go anywhere for the moment, until everything is back to normal, and then we will go everywhere.
"We'll go wherever he likes, wherever he wants to go we'll go. But it will take awhile for him to come back to normal life."
Social care worker Raul said that while they were thrilled to have Alejandro home, they all still struggle at times with the devastation the incident has left behind.
He explained: "Today, it's fine, everything is OK and we're good mentally. I know this is going to be just for today.
"Maybe tomorrow when we wake up, we look at him and it'll be different. For us, for everything to go away will take some time and for him as well.
"Everytime he looks up, we all remember what happened but we have to get used to it, to live with it. He's a brave, brave fighter."
Asked about how mum Otilia was doing, Raul said: "She's not in a very good mood and she's not in a very good place mentally. But just the fact that we can see him at home, it gives us hope.
"We have to go everywhere with him, he has such a long road ahead of him."
Once his scars have healed, Alejandro will then undergo yet more surgery for his bottom lip as well as the scars left behind from the attack.
- To donate to the fund for Alejandro, see: gofundme.com/f/just-playing-with-his-friends.
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