Na’vaun Jackson is a miracle.
“He’s breathing on his own, he’s doing something different every day,” his mother, Brijjanna Price, said at a press conference on Thursday. Her relief is palpable.
“Everything the doctors are saying, God says different.”
According to CNN, the inquisitive four-year-old found a gun under a pillow on March 27 and accidentally shot himself in the head.
He was immediately rushed to a nearby children’s hospital in Oakland and admitted to an intensive care unit, where he fought for his life as his family feared they would lose yet another relative to gun violence—they already lost four others.
His prognosis improved, but he was put on life support and placed in a medically induced coma. With no sign of brain activity, doctors predicted he would be either brain dead or most likely never walk again.
But fate had other plans.
“God has the last say!!!!!” Brijjanna wrote on Facebook. “He said I will use this child as an example of my grace, mercy and favor. Keep getting stronger baby.”
In the weeks since, Na’vaun’s condition has improved drastically. Although he’s still unable to talk, ABC 7 News reports he’s awake, responsive and now able to sit in a wheelchair. But most importantly, he’s out of intensive care.
“I always pray for the best so I knew he was going to be okay,” Brijjanna said.
In the aftermath of this incident, her estranged boyfriend, Terrence L. Wilson, was charged with one count of child abuse, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of first-degree criminal firearm storage, according to court documents filed by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
Fox 5 reports that Wilson informed police that he slept with the gun under his pillow but had forgotten to lock it up.
Na’vaun’s long-term prognosis will take months to determine, but the family has every reason to remain optimistic and in good spirits.
“He’s moving his foot now, he’s kicking pillows,” Na’vaun’s grandfather Ramon Price said. “He’s reaching for his feeding tube and his wraps with both hands. He’s clutching things with his hands. He’s moving his head, following you with his eyes.”
“Every day he’s doing something different so my son’s going to be back soon,” Brijjanna said. “He may not be back to the way he was, but he’ll be back.”
“I know it ain’t going to be a regular life now,” she added. “But I want him to just live his life, grow up, be something, be what he wants to be.”
For those interested or able to lend their support, the family has created a GoFundMe campaign to help offset costs associated with Na’vaun’s recovery.