It's an unfortunate fact of life that living well doesn't always prevent terrible things from happening to us.
No matter what people believe in, it will remain a mystery as to why that is, but it's a reality we have to accept.
Wikimedia Commons | René Sinn
Boy Who Survived Being Thrown From Mall Of America Balcony Returns Home
However, some tragic events are so horrific and unjust that they break our threshold for this understanding and fill us with total outrage.
Instagram | @roadtripusa
In such moments, it can be helpful to recall the advice the late Mr. Rogers' mother passed down to him: "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."
In the case of one Minnesota boy, we don't have to spend much time searching for the helpers and a recent update on his development will likely have them all breathing a sigh of relief.
For those unaware of the situation, a 5-year-old boy identified as Landen was thrown from a third-floor balcony at the Mall of america in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Wikimedia Commons | René Sinn
As ABC News reported, the attack was completely unprovoked and saw Landen fall 40 feet, which could have proved fatal for him.
The man responsible, 24-year-old Emmanuel Aranda, admitted in court that he understood this was likely.
Bloomington Police Department
As KSTP reported, he said that he entered the mall with a plan to kill someone that didn't "work out."
While he had intended to kill an adult, he was undeterred when Landen approached the balcony instead.
He has since plead guilty to attempted premeditated first-degree murder.
Instagram | @mixmastermike20
Though he made a plea deal, he wasn't granted much mercy in his sentencing, and will spend the next 19 years in prison.
While this went on, Landen underwent 15 different surgeries while in intensive care.
Reddit | chadusan
As his family stated via a GoFundMe update on June 25, these included "surgeries for two broken arms and a broken leg, removal of his spleen, procedures for fluid in his lungs and stomach, as well as for facial and skull fractures."
For a while, his condition seemed to worsen.
Instagram | @floshascorner
"Just this past weekend, he had a stent placed in a vein that runs through his liver because of the serious complications he continues to endure," the Go Fund Me post continued.
By August, Landen had made it through intensive care and started an inpatient physical rehabilitation program.
Reddit | carefree_dude
Since the incident, Landen's GoFundMe page inspired almost 30,000 donors to pool together almost $1,050,000.
The campaign was started by a family friend named Noah Hanneman who assured the public that only Landen's family would have access to the funds.
As of yesterday, however, Landen has been released from the hospital and is now back at home.
GoFundMe
He will need some additional outpatient rehabilitation for his injuries, but will mostly just need to adjust to life back at home and in school.
As his family said in this most recent update, "Thank you to all of you who prayed for us and loved us during the past 4 1/2 months. You helped to give us hope and show us the Glory of God’s great love here on earth even during the darkest of days."
h/t: ABC News
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