just an update.......he gets to be home for Christmas.......
Burned teen: Michael Brewer celebrates leaving hospital with movie, snack -- OrlandoSentinel.com
MIAMI - On his first night out of the hospital since he survived being set on fire two months ago, Michael Brewer watched a movie while lounging on a couch and eating a pizza snack, his mother said Wednesday.
"We got our Christmas last night when he came home from the hospital," Valerie Brewer said during a news conference at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Her son, who was burned on more than two-thirds of his body in the Oct. 12 attack in Deerfield Beach, was discharged from the hospital's burn center Tuesday afternoon.
Brewer is staying at a house his mother described as a "safe place." She would not give the location.
Three teens have been charged as adults with attempted murder for allegedly surrounding Brewer, dousing him with rubbing alcohol, and lighting him on fire.
Valerie Brewer said her family plans to stay in South Florida, but will not remain in their old neighborhood, where the attack occurred and relatives of the accused boys live.
Michael, 15, doesn't want to return, she said.
"He doesn't feel safe going back home," Valerie Brewer said. "He does fear for his life going back there."
She said her son doesn't talk to her about the incident because he doesn't want to upset her. But he is seeing a therapist, and probably will have to keep talking to one for the rest of his life, she said.
Michael uses a broomstick for balance to walk around, his mother said. She also described the pain her son goes through when he showers, which he did Tuesday night.
He ate a pizza-flavored Lunchable snack pack and watched a cartoon movie; she didn't remember the name.
Appearing on national TV before the news conference, she said she has no opinion on whether the teens accused of setting her son on fire should be tried as adults. Supporters of one of the suspects have asked prosecutors to reconsider their decision to move the case out of the juvenile justice system. The three suspects face second-degree attempted murder charges, which carry a maximum 30 year prison term.
Instead, she said she's focused on her son's recovery, calling him her hero.
"We thought he would be at the hospital for a year," Brewer said on the CBS Early Show. "This is a Christmas miracle."
It is not clear how the burns will affect the boy as an adult, said Dr. Louis Pizano on the NBC Today show. He must undergo physical therapy five days a week and be constantly monitored for any possible infections.
Pictures released Tuesday show Michael Brewer in immense pain as he performs physical tasks such as raising his arms and moving his legs.
"He is just an incredible person, I'm so proud of him," Valerie Brewer said. "He is my hero, he really is."
Brewer said she's "still not focusing" on whether those boys should face an adult charge, which carries a maximum 30-year prison term. "That's just too negative for me," she said.
She said she has not talked extensively with her son about the day he was attacked. Instead, they focus on maintaining a positive attitude, she told the Today show.
Brewer said she and her son wanted to thank those who have been supportive of Michael's recovery on Facebook.
"It definitely made a difference," Brewer said. "Michael has realized what a strong support system he has and it has lifted his spirits."