Malakai Roberts

Malakai Roberts, a 6-year-old Lexington boy left blind after a shooting in Dec. 2020. (Source: LEX 18)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 6-year-old Lexington boy who was left blind after a shooting is getting a new look, thanks to a Twitter philanthropist.

On Wednesday, an ocularist made a prosthetic eye for Malakai Roberts, helping to achieve a more "normal" look after his eye was surgically removed.

"A lot of times when we're in public, here will be people that stare," said Malakai's mom, Cacy Roberts, in an interview with LEX 18. "Kids will kind of be afraid and run away from him because of his appearance, and I thought that getting a prosthetic eye would give more of a 'normal' appearance and maybe keep that down a little bit."

Cacy said the Twitter philanthropist who paid for the prosthetic is a stranger.

"It feels great!" she said about the donation. "It's awesome. He helps a lot of people."

She's talking about Pulte. He's a man who describes himself as "the inventor of Twitter Philanthropy."

"With these things, you can never obviously take away the pain and the hurt that he experiences on a day-to-day basis, but if we can help even a little bit, that's the whole reason Twitter philanthropy exists," Pulte said in a Zoom interview.

His generosity resulted in a moment when a family that has been through so much could feel pure joy.

"Oh my god!" Cacy exclaimed when she saw Malakai's new prosthetic.

"Oh my goodness!" exclaimed Malakai's father. "It looks just like you!"

Cacy said she is still looking into options for Malakai's left eye, but the hope is to have a similar look as the prosthetic in the right.

The shooting took place days before Christmas 2020, when police say a man fired a gun into the Roberts' home. Malakai, who was five years old at the time, was hit in the head, leaving him blind and without his sense of taste and smell. 

Cacy took a gunshot to the arm and has recovered.

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