6-year-old boy blinded by gunfire last winter joins Future Healers program

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A child blinded by gunfire while inside a home in Lexington last year is now joining the Future Healers program, a partnership between Christopher 2X Game Changers, UofL Hospital's Trauma Institute and students at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Last December, 5-year-old Malakai Roberts was with his mother, Cacy, and brother watching a movie from inside their home. It was Christmas break, so Cacy had let her boys stay up later than usual.

Around 2:15 a.m., Cacy heard gunshots, but didn't think bullets would ever be directed toward her house. With the boys on either side of her, Cacy pulled them to the floor for protection.

"The gunshots kept on coming, I think there was 11 or 13 or so, the lights were off," Cacy said. "After it was over, I flipped the lights on, and that's when I realized what happened." 

Cacy knew she had been shot in the arm, but then realized Malakai had been shot through the temple. The same bullet had struck Malakai and then Cacy.

"I can't say we were in the wrong place at the wrong time, because we were in bed," Cacy said.

"It was really bad," Cacy said. "I held onto him until EMS had gotten there."

Malakai was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital, along with his mother four days before Christmas.

"After he was taken to the hospital, I wasn't sure if he was going to die since he was shot in the head," Cacy said. "Pretty quickly they thought his injury was something he could survive." 

The bullet had passed through his temple and behind his eyes. He had a fractured skull and was blinded by the gunshot, which also damaged his ability to smell and taste.

Cacy says Malakai's recovery started from that point on.

"He has handled everything like a champ," Cacy said. "He has not complained one day. He is amazing. If that happened to me, I would be devastated. He has taken life by the horns. He wakes up everyday, he never complains, he does everything he wants."

Malakai rides a bicycle, without training wheels, and loves sports.

Peggy Sinclair-Morris, principal for the Kentucky School for the Blind, was part of an initial meeting with Fayette County Schools after the shooting.

Malakai attended the school in Louisville's two-week program that includes orientation, mobility, self-determination, living skills and school work, among other learning objectives. He's been learning braille and how to use a walking stick while socializing with other children who are blind. 

Sinclair-Morris turned to Christopher 2X and the Future Healers program to provide the family additional support several weeks ago.

"We can support Kai working on the skills he needs to be a successful young man, but I felt like if we could support Cacy as well, to meet other folks who have experienced similar things," Sinclair-Morris said.

2X calls Malakai, who is now 6 years old, a "wonderchild." His addition into Future Healers was quickly accepted. 

"I told Peggy right off the bat, 'we are going to make that happen,'" 2X said. "He will be an inspiration to kids in the Future Healers program."

The program is designed to help Louisville children impacted by violence in their neighborhood to build a better future. Participants are able to walk through UofL Hospital and learn about the importance of the human body, and visited the Louisville Zoo in September.

Karen Udoh, a third-year student at UofL School of Medicine who teaches the Future Healers, says Malakai is an amazing addition to the program.

"Not only is it going to allow him to be able to meet us and other people that have gone through emotional trauma, but it's also strengthening our program because we are making sure that with our lessons and how we are teaching these kids, it's successful with him as well, that no kid will be left apart from it because they have some disability," Udoh said. 

As Louisville nears a record-homicide total for the second consecutive year, UofL Hospital trauma surgeon Dr. Keith Miller says the numbers don't capture what families like the Roberts go through. 

"This is what Future Healers is all about," Miller said. 

2X says the newest member of the Future Healers will be an inspirational presence to children, parents, medical students and surgeons involved in the program.

Malakai is set to spend the first week overnight at the Kentucky School for the Blind this week. 

After receiving a stethoscope on Sunday, Malakai will participate in his first Future Healers event on Nov. 13. He'll meet fellow Future Healers for the first time then.

His mother is excited for him to be involved in the program after a life-changing tragedy less than a year ago.

"It's important to have that unity, I know Malakai loves to be around people," Cacy said. "There's everything to gain from it."

A GoFundMe has been setup in support of the family.

Related Stories:

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• Future Healers program meet with UofL Hospital staff, doctors
• Louisville teen shooting survivor returns home after trip to Washington, D.C.
• Louisville approaches unprecedent homicide total after yet another violent month

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