ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The 7-year-old who was at the center of that drone incident in Downtown Orlando is finally home, his family said on Tuesday.
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Alezander Edgerton spent several days in the hospital where he needed to have open heart-surgery.
“Honestly, it’s been very emotional,” said Adriana Edgerton, Zander’s mother, who spoke exclusively with Channel 9. “It was very hard, not only to be in that situation and trying to keep the spirits alive, but just being divided as a family; that’s not something we’re used to.”
Zander left the hospital on Monday, and his family made sure he went home in style.
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“They did have the wheelchair, but even when he got in, it seemed kind of morbid. You know, it just wasn’t making him feel better,” said Edgerton. “Thanks to the community, we were able to get him the power wheel. So, I spent all that morning getting it together, my wife and I, trying to read those confusing instructions, but we did it.”
For now, the 7-year-old will still have to stay home, see the doctor twice a week, and will still have to take pain medicine following all the surgical procedures he had to go through.
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“He did have to get the open-heart surgery,” said Edgerton. “There were a few arteries that had to be replaced, as well as the front part of the heart that had to be repaired, as well as the valves. So, there was, there was a lot of extensive work done.”
Zander’s mom says the time they spent in the hospital was challenging, but the community support her family received made it all possible.
“I know a lot of the times the world seems like a bad place, and there’s not a lot of hope, but it’s nice to know that even in unfortunate times like this, humans can come together and be one for a greater cause,” she said.
READ: ‘I was freaking out’: mother of 7-year-old hurt in Orlando drone show speaks out
The road for to recovery is long, but the boy’s family is happy to celebrate the beginning of a new year at home.
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