Four weeks ago 19 year old Ahmad Nah was shot in his head with a pellet gun by a 12 year old girl. The pellet penetrated his skull and was lodged in his brain. He was on life support for more than a week and doctors initially gave him a 5% chance of survival. And even with so many odds against him - the news tonight is that not only has Ahmaad survived, he was well enough to leave the hospital today. 7News was there.
Keith Swift Reporting,
We were there this afternoon when Theodore Nah wheeled his 19 year old son Ahmaad out of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. It was the first time Ahmaad was seeing outside the hospital walls since his near fatal shooting three weeks ago.
Ahmaad Nah, Pellet Gun Victim
“God’s been good to me. I feel good right now. I am excited that I came out of the hospital. I was tired of being in that spot.”
Keith Swift,
“What do you want to say to the people who were praying for you?”
Ahmaad Nah,
“Thanks and ‘nuff love.”
For Theodore Nah, his son’s recovery is
nothing short of a miracle.
Theodore Nah, Father
“It is a joy for me but first of all I must say thanks to God and the people out there praying for me and to continue praying for him. Thanks to Dr. Hidalgo, Dr. Estrada, and Dr. Ryo. These guys did a very good job and I have to applaud these guys and the nurses at the ICU and Surgical Ward also very much.”
Keith Swift,
“When we first spoke to you it was a 5% chance of survival. Did you expect this ending?”
Theodore Nah,
“To frank I didn’t believe this would be the outcome of it.”
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo who led the team of physicians treating Ahmaad says his recovery is – to put it mildly – remarkable.
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo, Lead Physician
“He did a very good recovery. We were sceptical but as we mentioned
in the beginning, we believe that his age, being a young person, played an important role and that is why he made it.”
Keith Swift,
“Would you say it is a miracle?”
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo,
“Well that is an important question and we can say yes definitely. I think he came on time and we had the opportunity to provide him with the treatment on time.”
This afternoon Ahmaad left the hospital for the 50 mile drive back home to Roaring Creek but Dr. Hidalgo says this 19 year old’s journey to normal will be a long one.
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo,
“It is very difficult at this point to know if he is going to recover 100%. The important and the crucial part is rehabilitation program. As we spoke before, we have a rehabilitation program at KHMH. As part of the rehabilitation program, he is going to be able to do it at KHMH and then the therapist usually teaches the family what activities they can do at home to speed the process of recovery.”
Keith Swift,
“And how long is that going to take?”
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo,
“It is very difficult to say. Sometimes it takes between six months and a year and also we cannot guarantee that he is going to 100% of his functions. But at least right now at least we can say that he has about 60% to 75% of his important functions.”
One of these functions will be his memory. He hasn’t spoken about the shooting incident but did issue this warning.
Ahmaad Nah,
“Watch what you eat and watch you drink because it could put you in some bad situation.”
The pellet is still lodged in Ahmaad Nah’s brain. Doctors say it might do more harm than good to remove it. Dr. Hidalgo says apart from his youth, Nah survived because he received medical attention immediately after the incident.
