Dominick Krankall.Photo: Courtesy of Krankall Family
WARNING: Story below contains a photograph that depicts achild’s burn injuries.
Dominick Krankall was released from the hospital Monday, more than a week aftersuffering third-degree burnswhen a tennis ball that had been set on fire was allegedly thrown in his face.
But according to the 6-year-old boy’s mother, Maria Rua, “His spirits are very high.”
In an interview with PEOPLE, Rua, 43, describes Dominick as a “trooper,” saying he never complains. According to Rua, Dominick looks in the mirror every day to see how he’s healing, and even started removing the bandages himself when hospital staff came to change the dressing on his burns.
Sitting in his hospital bed playing with matchbox cars, Dominick cheerfully told PEOPLE before his release Monday that he’s looking forward to learning Tae Kwon Do and playing soccer. He says he’s feeling “good!”
That’s when, his family alleges, a neighbor boy who they say had previously bullied Dominick covered a tennis ball with gasoline, lit it on fire, and threw it at him.
“I heard him screaming, ‘Mommy, help me. They set me on fire.'”
She ran to him and he ran to her. “His leg was still smoking, and his face was bright red,” she remembers.
Dominick (left) with his little brother.Courtesy of Krankall Family
So far, the burn unit at Bridgeport Hospital has treated Dominick’s burns on his face and right leg without surgery.
“There is still a slight chance that he may need surgery on his forehead where the ball initially hit him, and that’s a deeper burn,” says Rua, a mother of seven children.
“It’s not healing like it should be, like other parts of his face have healed,” she says. “We’re just taking that one day at a time, to see if they’re going to have to do some type of surgery in that area or not.”
Dominick will probably have permanent scars, his father, Aaron Krankall, 32, says.
“But we’re just trying to be hopeful,” says Krankall. “The power of prayer really did work, because even the doctors are like, ‘This is phenomenal how well he looks.'”
As he continues to recover, his family is making plans to move to a new home, in a new town, where Dominick will feel safe.
“Somewhere he’ll never have to worry about walking outside and something terrible like this ever happening ever again,” says Krankall.
To help pay for the move, Dominick’s oldest sister, Kayla, started aGoFundMethat has raised more than half a million dollars.
The family is incredibly appreciative of the community’s outpouring of love and support. Last Thursday,first responders held a parade outside the hospital— and Dominick watched from his window.
“Not everybody is bad in the world,” says Rua. “There’s good people, and that’s really showing right now, how many good people are in this world.”
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Dominick now wants to become a police officer.
“He doesn’t ever want this to happen to another child. He said he wants to protect people,” Aaron Krankall says.
Courtesy of Krankall Family
Long Road to Recovery
Dominick has a long road to recovery. This summer will be difficult for the first grader, who loves fishing, biking and playing ball outside.
“It’s not going to be normal ever for Dominick, at least this summer,” his dad says. “He can’t be out in direct sunlight for over a year. … It’s going to be hard for him to understand that you can’t go out and play with the other kids this year.”
Dominick’s parents are speaking out about bullying, and trying to stop other kids from getting hurt.
“Bullying is serious,” Rua says. “Parents have to take it seriously, because this is what happens when you don’t address the situation.”
source: people.com
