Nine-year-old Cesar Pena wasn’t expected to survive after he was hit in the head by a stray bullet nearly a year ago. But Cesar defied the odds and is now healing at home with his family – despite the fact that the bullet is still lodged in his head.
Doctors have not removed the bullet because they said doing so could be deadly, KVOA News 4 in Tucson, Arizona reported.
As a result of the shooting, Cesar suffers short-term memory loss and his left side is slightly paralyzed.
"He couldn't hold his head,” Cesar's mother Lizett Pena, told the TV station. “I had to re-teach him how to eat, how to talk."
For now, Cesar is home-schooled and wears protective head gear.
Next week, Cesar will undergo a second surgery to replace part of his skull bone.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox