An 8-year-old Chester boy left paralyzed from a hit-and-run crash was welcomed home as a hero Monday, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia.
Ny’Leek was getting off a SEPTA bus Feb. 4 when he was struck at the intersection of 9th and Tilghman streets. He was critically injured. The driver was arrested weeks later and charged.
Ny’Leek Ellison was paralyzed from the neck down and has to breathe with the help of a ventilator.
He spent months in the hospital before his release.
“I was waiting,” Ny’Leek told CBS News Philadelphia. Asked what was best about being home, he smiled and said, “Seeing my dog.”
Dozens of community members, including family, friends, first responders, and even strangers, lined the streets holding balloons and posters, cheering his remarkable strength as he returned home.
“I don’t have words to say — it’s spectacular,” his father, Micah Ellison, said. “We’ve been waiting for this day.”
Chester Councilman Fred Green described Ny’Leek as a strong kid who is receiving the prayers of Chester and the world.
His mother, Anita Carrington, believed her son would overcome.
“The stage that Ny’Leek Ellison is in right now, that’s not for the rest of his life,” she said. “That’s what God told me.”
Read more about Ny’Leek’s return to his Chester city home at CBS News Philadelphia.
