Devin Newcombe, 16, is back at home less than two months after being shot in the head, and his family says they anticipate him to fully recover.
“That ride home was emotional for both of us,” his father Rondell Newcombe posted. “We just kept looking at each other smiling. No more needles, vital checks, stitches, staples, trache or hospital beds.
“He is home and doing well,” Newcombe wrote.
According to Devin’s family and the police, on January 5 during the birthday celebration for his 2-year-old cousin, a gun was shot while they were alone in the basement of a relative’s house in Hoffman Estates.
Devin received a headshot to the left side. According to the boy’s relatives, doctors had to remove a part of the boy’s skull to heal the wound caused by the bullet.
After then, Devin spent three weeks in the ICU, most of which he was sedated. Afterwards, two additional weeks in rehabilitation and two weeks in the paediatric unit were added.
After receiving his release from treatment last Friday, he will start outpatient therapy on Tuesday. Nina Newcombe, Devin’s mother, says she expects him to fully recover. Nevertheless, the family is unsure of how long the outpatient treatment will go on or when Devin will be able to go back to school.
“He has recovered so quickly, like ICU staff, everybody has just been left with their mouths wide open like in awe at his recovery,” Nina Newcombe said, calling his healing a miracle. He’s walking, he’s talking, he remembers everything.
“This whole time since he’s been awake again, he’s just smiling and the spirits are up,” she added.
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His father said Devin was so excited to be released from rehab that he “ran out of the building.”
Devin is a “happy kid” who’s “always smiling” and making friends with people wherever he goes, his mother said. He played basketball, football and baseball before the shooting. He won’t play football again out of caution but expects to return to the basketball court eventually.
“He’s got full mobility in his legs. His right arm is still a little bit weak like he still can’t pick stuff up with that arm, but they’re saying he’s expected to have a full recovery,” Nina Newcombe said.
Devin’s West Chicago-based family started a GoFundMe campaign to pay for his medical expenses and support “him on his new journey and a second chance at life.”
