13-year-old now in Houston, hoping to walk again after freak accident
HOUSTON - A 13-year-old boy out of Dallas who is here is now receiving care out of Houston with his family at TIRR Memorial Herman after what his family describes as a freak accident in June left him paralyzed.
"Stay away from wasps," said Semyeon Williams Jr.
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That's the message from 13-year-old Semyon Williams, or SJ, who despite how it might look is laughing his way through the pain.
"I’m glad that I’m still here, I guess," said Williams.
That wasp, according to SJ, is why he is currently paralyzed.
June 20, a day at the pool turned from fun with friends to frantic, after he dove into the shallow end trying to get away from the wasp – his mother still processing the reality.
"His words are, he basically, he thought that he was going to die, because he couldn't understand why he saw his arm floating in the water, but he couldn't feel it," said his mother Anya Camper. "It’s really no way to explain it, because no matter what how I feel, I have to keep moving. So I really don’t have time to process it, and in the moments that I think I do where I think I do, it’s kind of calm, and I can sit and think about it. It’s literally gut wrenching,"
Receiving care in his hometown of Dallas at the Children’s hospital, for weeks, doctors told Anya Camper, her son would heal, but they labeled him as a quadriplegic.
"As a mom, you are supposed to be the one to fix everything and this is one thing I have no control over," said Camper.
However, as of August 18, SJ is in Houston at TIRR Memorial Herman working towards regaining his strength and mobility, something his mom has been praying for as she thinks about what their future will look like.
"We are just scared. It’s scary to think about leaving here and being on our own," said Camper.
For now, Anya says she is just praying for a miracle that her 13-year-old football-loving, funny, and gamer son will one day walk again.
"We’re just grateful for him still being here, because I could have been planning a funeral," said Camper.
On Sunday, SJ said that he was working on his ability to stand and was excited to share his progress. Now, the family tells FOX 26, they will be at TIRR or a few weeks, and as long as SJ continues to progress, then the plan is for the family to return home, start outpatient care, and figure out what school, transportation and their new future look like.
If you’d like to find out more about this young man's story, you can head to their GoFundMe.