FRESNO, Texas – A 17-year-old boy is recovering after a gunshot wound to the back left him paralyzed from the waist down.
"They shot him with a 9-millimeter hollow point," said Robert Lewis, Sr., father of Robert Lewis, Jr.
Lewis Jr. was shot while sitting in his car Jan. 7 in the Andover Farms neighborhood in Fresno, according to his parents.
"He had major surgery and [doctors] say [the gunman] messed up his lungs, his liver, his kidney and he said they had to repair all of that," Lewis Sr. said.
The bullet also caused damage to Lewis Jr.'s spine. The doctor's assessment of that recovery was less promising.
"Then he said he was paralyzed," Lewis Sr. said.
Lewis Jr. continues to undergo extensive physical therapy in hopes he will regain the ability to walk.
"We thank God for all the people who have been praying for us, coming up to see us, visiting us," said Alice Vaughn, Lewis Jr.'s grandmother.
The family told KPRC2 they are also thankful to the community for its generosity. A family friend created a GoFundMe page to help the Lewises with rising medical costs and other expenses to aid in Lewis Jr.'s recovery.
At 6 feet, 7 inches tall, Lewis Jr. needs a special wheelchair to accommodate his height. His family may also need to retrofit their home once Lewis Jr. is discharged from the hospital.
The 17-year-old attends Hightower High School in Missouri City, where he had hoped to join the basketball team.
His family members hold on to their faith that not only will he walk again, but he'll get back to the court -- doing what he loves.
"A guy asked me the other day was he going to be able to play basketball again. I said 'I'm pretty sure he will,'" Lewis Sr. said.