Help Orion recover from a stray bullet wound

On Friday December 3, just before 11pm, the unthinkable happened. Nine-year-old Orion was in his living room at home when a stray bullet from an assault rifle tore through two walls and struck him in the upper left arm, severing a major artery and shattering his bicep. He was admitted via ambulance to University Hospital in Mobile where he underwent a successful surgery to repair his severed artery, and a few days later another surgery repair his Ulnar and Median nerves which were both truncated. The nerve repair went as well as it could considering the circumstances; however, the muscle of his left bicep is severely damaged, and his parents will explore other options for repair/replacement. He faces a long road of surgeries, rehabilitation, and therapies ranging from physical to occupational, in the hopes that his arm will be fully functional again one day.

Orion is a special kid. He is bright, witty, playful and sensitive. He is a wonderful big brother to Cormac, and a friend to all. He loves dogs, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Hamilton, playing soccer and watching football. He was learning to play the cello, but his future in that is uncertain. His family and friends are so thankful that he survived this and is coping incredibly well thus far. That said, the monsters responsible for this unspeakable crime are still at large while Orion endures an extensive and agonizing recovery.

It’s widely known that the state of healthcare in the US, and the system of medical insurance and coverage, is broken. Orion’s family should only have to focus on his recovery, but the reality is that the financial impact of such an extremely traumatic emergency is daunting. The purpose of this account is to make a meaningful contribution to this precious boy’s future.

Orion’s mother, Brittany Roybal, and her partner Lee Palacios, together with Orion’s father Cosmo Comiskey and his wife Melissa, thank everyone reading this for the outpouring of love and generosity.