Boy Allegedly Burned by Bully Leaves Hospital

Twelve-year-old David Opont rose from his wheelchair, smiled shyly and said he felt fine as he left a hospital Friday, three months after a bully allegedly set him on fire.

With the spirit that marked his recovery, Opont faced dozens of television cameras and reporters on the lawn of the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and said: “I have to thank God, my doctors and nurses.

“The first thing I want to do is go to school,” he added.

When asked how he felt, the boy said in a soft voice: “Fine.”

He then was wheeled to an ambulance, which took him to a helicopter for transit to the Margaret T. Palomino Rehabilitation Center at Jamaica Hospital. While there, he will undergo physical therapy and reconstructive surgery, mostly cosmetic, and receive counseling for the next three to four weeks, doctors said.

Opont was on his way to school on March 7 when a bully forced him into a building, tied him to a railing and set him afire, police said. Opont allegedly had been robbed by the same 13-year-old boy a day earlier.

The other boy was arrested hours after the attack and has been held at a juvenile center.

The attack left Opont with burns over 55% of his body. At first, doctors gave him only a 50-50 chance of survival.

His plight attracted international sympathy. He received hundreds of letters from nearly every state and from as far away as France and his native Haiti. More than $280,000 was donated to a fund to help cover his medical expenses.

Visitors to his hospital room included actor Bill Cosby, former President Ronald Reagan and Vice President Dan Quayle.

“The gifts, cards and letters . . . all of that contributed to bringing David back to life,” said Guito Lavoile, a cousin and family spokesman.

Cheers erupted as Opont was wheeled out of the hospital.

“This is a happy day for David’s family and the burn center,” said Dr. Cleon Goodwin, director of the burn ward. “It’s sad, too. We’re going to miss him.”

Standing by the boy were his parents, Luther and Prenise Opont, his sister and doctors and nurses.

When he left the hospital, Opont wore a dark suit with a pink shirt and black bow tie. His right hand was covered with a glove bandage, and he had bald spots on his head. Most of his burns are on his abdomen, chest and back.

“Beneath his nice shirt, he has his compression garments on, which he will have to wear for the next two to three years,” Goodwin said. The special garments put pressure on the burn scars, reduce their size and help the skin color return to normal, he said.