On the 29th (local time), Ralph Yal, a 16-year-old black boy with a scar on his left forehead, received a medal at a park in Kansas City, Missouri. Ralph finished 1.5 miles (about 2.4 km) in the 36th ‘Race for Brain Injury’ held on the occasion of ‘Memorial Day’, the American memorial day. lied
Ralph was shot on the 13th of last month, 46 days ago. While going to pick up his two younger brothers from a visit to a neighbor’s house, he accidentally pressed the doorbell of another house. The owner of the house, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old white man, shot him in the head and arm. The bullet to his head narrowly missed and miraculously saved his life. But the trauma of the shooting lingered.
Ralph, an aspiring ‘music boy’, longs to go back to school and play in an ensemble every day. But he still spends a lot of time in bed curled up into a ball. Migraines, anxiety, and mood swings. Lester, who was released on bail, is still maintaining his innocence. Her aunt, Faith Spoonmore, said, “The outward problems may not be great for Ralph. The real problem is a wound that is invisible and cannot be healed once and for all,” she said.
Fortunately, Ralph is not alone. Local media outlets such as the Kansas City Star reported that after registering under the name ‘Team Ralph’, close to 1,000 participants, including Ralph’s family and friends wearing light green T-shirts, walked and ran together in the park. The race was an annual fundraiser to support people with brain injuries. Ralph, who had been reluctant to meet with people since the accident, made his first public appearance that day. I didn’t say anything until I stood on the starting line, but after I finished the race, I exchanged greetings with a smile with my ‘colleagues’ who ran with me.
Prior to the start of the competition, Ralph’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, appealed for her participation in preventing gun violence, saying, “I hope everyone will know more about brain damage and try to help people with brain damage.” Spoonmore said, “I hope Ralph will feel that there are people who are still living a good life after getting into an accident through this competition.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.