YOUNG GUNSHOT VICTIM WILL ARRIVE HOME TODAY

JACKSON -- Eleven-year-old Matt Smith, paralyzed from the chest down in a gunshot accident this summer, is coming home from the hospital today after two months of intensive therapy.

As a surprise answer to Matt's wish, Kelley Transportation Co. has donated the use of a limousine to bring Matt and his parents home from St. Louis Children's Hospital. He is expected home today at about 3:30 p.m.

Matt is the son of Don and Vella Smith of Jackson.

"We are very excited that he is finally coming home," said Vella Smith, from Matt's hospital room Thursday.

On June 23, Matt and a friend were shooting .22-caliber rifles at targets in the backyard at Matt's home near Jackson.

"It was an accidental shooting," Smith said. "The gun went off and Matt was in the wrong place."

He was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital initially and then to St. Louis Children's Hospital the next day. He hasn't been home since.

The gun shot left him paralyzed from the chest down, but he has full use of his arms.

Matt has undergone intensive therapy, preparing him to leave the hospital.

Once Matt is home, his mother said, a regular routine will begin quickly. "He starts school next week," she said.

Matt and his parents plan to visit his sixth-grade teacher at West Lane Elementary School Monday afternoon. Matt his scheduled to begin class on Tuesday.

She said Matt is "pretty nervous" about starting school. "But he is anxious to get back to his friends," Smith said. "The school has been very supportive.

"We hope to get him, as much as possible, back to a normal way of life. I think that's good for Matt and the whole family."

The Smiths have two other children, Courtney, 16, and Tonika, 20.

Therapy began while Matt was still in intensive care. "They worked a little every day. It was about two weeks before he was really in the full swing of rehab.

"When we started looking for a place to do rehabilitation, we first looked at St. John's and Jewish (hospitals in St. Louis). They had magnificent equipment, but not that many children.

"We were impressed with Children's and they knew how to handle kids."

Matt has worked five hours a day building muscles and learning to maneuver his wheelchair.

"He had to learn to dress himself, to transfer from bed to the chair and back again," Smith said. "He had to learn wheelchair skills like getting up and down ramps and what to do if the chair turns over.

"The therapy has gone very well," Smith said. "They tell us he has progressed faster than normal.

"He's had a real good attitude. We're a religious family and we credit God with his success. He has helped us every day. We also credit our family and friends and church back home. They have all been very supportive."

Because Matt is now in a wheelchair, major reconstruction was necessary at the Smith home.

"We had to put ramps in two doors and we are putting in a stair glide. Our home has a family room in the basement," she said.

A new shower and bathroom also had to be constructed, doorways were widened, carpet in the hallway had to be removed, and the family is paving the driveway.

Smith said insurance is paying part of the costs, but not nearly all the costs.

"It's hard, especially with one child in high school and one in college," she said. "But everyone has been so supportive. I've been up here most of the time. It will be good to be back home."