Mother Hopes for Recovery of Brooklyn Teen Paralyzed in Shooting
A mother from Brooklyn is holding onto hope that her son will one day walk again after he was tragically left paralyzed by a shooting. It’s heartbreaking, really. This promising young basketball player, Nana Efa Donkor, was shot while a bullet meant for someone else struck him at church.
On Sunday, 16-year-old Donkor was standing at a bus stop with a friend after returning from a basketball tournament. Just moments earlier, a fellow church member had greeted him with a quick hello. Then, out of nowhere, three teens approached and started shooting.
With a chilling memory, he recalled one of the shooters exclaiming, “Yo, that’s him!” He instinctively stepped away, thinking they weren’t talking about him. He didn’t know them; it all felt surreal.
When the gunfire erupted, Donkor felt pain shot through him, and he collapsed. He instinctively tried to find cover but quickly realized he couldn’t move, and that was a devastating moment.
“I came the first day he was shot, and things didn’t sound good,” his mother, Danielle Boakye, shared in a phone conversation. It’s devastating, you know? A bullet severed his spinal cord, leaving him unable to feel his legs. “They were cold,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion.
After undergoing surgery, the doctors informed them that removing the bullet might cause even more harm. But in a twist of fate, her son began to regain some sensation in his feet, which was unexpected and gave them a glimmer of hope.
“That’s why I can say there’s hope,” Boakye confidently stated. “It’s only a matter of time before he can walk again.” Her son was more than just an athlete; he was a dedicated student, and she emphasized how much he excelled both on the basketball court and in his academics.
As for Donkor, he wasn’t aware of who the attackers were or the true target, believed by law enforcement to be linked to gang activity. “I go to church with him. That’s all I know about him,” he said simply, echoing a mix of confusion and concern.
The senseless violence affecting the youth in New York City deeply troubles his mother. “They need to stop,” Boakye urged, expressing that if she had the authority, she would make it impossible for kids to get their hands on guns.
As of now, the shooter remains on the loose, adding to a sense of urgency and concern still lingering in the community.
