A boy given a one per cent chance of survival after being shot in the head has raised more than £8k for those who saved his life. Harry Studley, now nine, was just 18 months when an air rifle pellet lodged in his brain, after being shot by a neighbour.
A 24-year-old was later jailed for two years after he admitted causing grievous bodily harm to Harry, who needed emergency surgery.Harry was given a one per cent chance of survival – with his family not knowing if he would ever wake up. But he has since pulled through – despite suffering lifelong conditions like epilepsy and partial blindness.
Harry and his dad, Edward Studley, 30, took part in the Grand Walk for the Grand Appeal, in order to raise money for the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. The walk was 3.1 miles (5 kilometres) long – and Harry “ran across the finish line with a smile,” despite initial difficulties.
Edward said: “It was a fantastic day. Harry absolutely loves being the centre of attention – and he was the guest of honour, if you like. He found it very difficult, and fell over a few times. But, he ran across that finish line with a smile on his face.”
Edward was told the morning of the walk that he’d managed to raise £2k for the hospital – which by the end of the day, had grown to £8k. A further donation of £100 yesterday (12/10) took the total to £8,126 – just in time for the pair to hand the check to Harry’s former neurosurgeon, Michael Carter.
“It’s been absolutely insane to see the total go up and up,” Edward added. “It really restored my faith in humanity.
“Yesterday was really emotional – seeing the bed where Harry spent so much time in recovery. It was really wholesome to see Harry having a laugh and a joke with the surgeon who saved his life. Harry has come so far – considering we didn’t know if he was ever going to wake up or not. I’m one very proud dad, that’s for sure.”