A Parkland student shielded others with his body — and is the last to leave the hospital alive

Authored by washingtonpost.com and submitted by PatrickIsAPersonToo

A Parkland student shielded others with his body — and is the last to leave the hospital alive

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel holds the hand of 15-year-old Parkland survivor Anthony Borges on Feb. 18. (Broward County Sheriff’s Office/AP)

Nearly two months after Anthony Borges was shot numerous times while shielding classmates from gunfire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the 15-year-old has been released from the hospital, his attorney said.

The boy had barricaded a door to try to protect fellow students during a school shooting Feb. 14 in Parkland, Fla., according to CNN.

Seventeen students and staff members were killed, and 17 others were injured in the attack. Anthony was shot five times and, after weeks in the hospital, is the last of the wounded survivors to go home, according to CNN.

Anthony told NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday morning that he had thought he was “going to die” and now feels lucky to be alive.

“I feel good,” the teen said.

Related: [So, what are the rules of engagement with the Parkland teens?]

Anthony’s attorney, Alex Arreaza, said Wednesday that the teen was released over the weekend and that, although he is thinner and weak, Anthony is in “good spirits.”

Arreaza told The Washington Post that one bullet had “clipped” the teen’s liver and three others had hit his legs. He said that because of the teen’s injuries, doctors had to remove part of one of his lungs.

Arreaza said that Anthony cannot speak for long periods of time without becoming winded and that the teen will need physical therapy and possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. But, he said, the teen is “happy he’s home.”

“He’s a little shellshocked right now,” Arreaza said. “But his spirits changed completely once he got home. The most noticeable thing is that he was smiling a lot more.”

Arreaza said it’s unclear at this time whether the teen will return to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He said last month that the teen’s family intends to sue Broward County, Broward County Public Schools and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office for failing to protect the students.

Hundreds of Anthony’s fellow students returned to school earlier this week from spring break and were confronted with a new normal: added security, identification badges and clear plastic book bags.

In a memo to parents, school principal Ty Thompson likened the new security procedures to “when you enter a sporting event, concert, or even Disney World,” according to the Associated Press.

Florida residents pushed leaders in Tallahassee to pass a school safety bill Feb. 27, nearly two weeks after the Feb. 14 mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

“As a first step, we are looking to see if we can get the kids through these entrances in a timely manner,” the principal wrote. “It is very difficult to balance both convenience/privacy with safety/security; if there is more of one, the other often suffers, but I will do my best to balance the two.”

Carly Novell, a senior and editor of the school newspaper, posted a photo of a clear backpack Monday on Twitter, joking, “But how satisfying would it be to put glue all over this backpack and peel it off.”

“On the real though, I want my privacy and my comfort. I don’t have that in school. I barely even have my education in school anymore,” she said in a subsequent tweet, pushing back against the new security protocol.

Another student tweeted that the security measures “are a waste of my community’s resources and do nothing to ensure our safety.”

Sheri Kuperman, a parent who has three children at the school, told the Sun-Sentinel that she has no problem with the security but that she is not convinced it will make her children and others any safer.

“We go through metal detectors when we go the airport,” she said, according to the newspaper. “I don’t know if it’s going to stop anything or not.”

After the recent shooting, Anthony was asked on the “Today” show whether he knew he was a hero — and the teen shook his head.

“He’s a hero in my book,” his attorney said, adding that Anthony is “the real deal.”

The Broward County Sheriff's Office on March 8 released some of the audio of 911 calls received during the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead. (Broward Sheriff's Office)

Lindsey Bever is a general assignment reporter for The Washington Post, covering national news with an emphasis on health. She was previously a reporter at the Dallas Morning News.

The_Unreal on April 5th, 2018 at 01:15 UTC »

Well, that's it.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

eggonion on April 4th, 2018 at 22:39 UTC »

This guy is the definition of a hero.

So nice to see a true hero sacrifice his life and live to tell the tale.

Raqped on April 4th, 2018 at 22:39 UTC »

Arreaza told The Washington Post that one bullet had “clipped” the teen’s liver and three others had hit his legs. He said that because of the teen’s injuries, doctors had to remove part of one of his lungs.

Arreaza said that Anthony cannot speak for long periods of time without becoming winded and that the teen will need physical therapy and possible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. But, he said, the teen is “happy he’s home.”

“He’s a little shellshocked right now,” Arreaza said. “But his spirits changed completely once he got home. The most noticeable thing is that he was smiling a lot more.”