Boy shot in head with airgun hands cheque to surgeon who helped save his life

Watch the moment Harry Studley gave a cheque to the surgeon who saved his life


A boy from Bristol who survived being shot in the head with an air rifle has fundraised more than £8,000 for the hospital which helped save his life.

Harry Studley recently completed a 5km sponsored walk with his dad to say thank you to the team at Bristol Children's Hospital.

The nine-year-old handed a cheque to neurosurgeon Michael Carter who operated on him eight years ago.

Harry was 18-months-old when he was shot with an air rifle at point blank range.

His injuries were described by Mr Carter as like being out of the "military" and "as dramatic and scary as it gets." At one stage he was given a one per cent chance of survival.

Harrys dad, Edward Studley, said: "It was the darkest time of our lives. For the first few weeks we weren't sure if Harry was going to wake up. So we had a lot of support from the doctors and the nurses. They became our family on that ward.

"We were all in there for four months, day and night, going through everything with Harry, going through all of his rehabilitation, learning to talk , learning to walk again, all of it. And they were there with us every step of the way."

The family say they wanted to give back to the Bluebell Ward where Harry stayed for four months. It's hoped the £8,000 will go to new equipment and toys to help other families.

The pellet still remains inside Harry's head, and as result of his injuries, he lives with epilepsy, partial blindness and other cognitive problems.

But he says he is "impressed with myself" for being able to complete the 5km walk and raise so much money for the hospital's charity, The Grand Appeal.

Mr Carter added: "He has done far better than anyone expected. He survived it and is thriving and that is fantastic."