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“He’s doing well,” said Const. Tony Vella. “He’s at home with his family.”

Early last week, the boy’s parents reported he had undergone neurosurgery and was alert and talking. “We are optimistic that he will recover,” read their statement.

The boy’s name is protected by a publication ban.

While officials at SickKids wouldn’t comment on the child’s treatment, brain experts said surviving such an injury is rare and dependent on several factors.

According to doctors at the Queen’s University School of Medicine, a bullet would have to miss the network of arteries; stay high, avoiding the brainstem and other vital areas responsible for breathing and heart functions; and it would have to be a low-calibre bullet from a longer range to reduce impact.

Even if the bullet doesn’t break through the skull, the brain could bleed without a hole to drain the blood, putting undue pressure on the brainstem that connects to the spinal cord.

If it looks like its going to be pretty detrimental, you have to be honest with them and say ‘This child may not survive’

“There’s enough redundant areas in the brain, and it sounds funny, but you don’t need all of it,” said Dr. Gordon Jones, head of Emergency Medicine at Queen’s University in Kingston. The emergency room specialist said he has seen patients survive after attempting suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

First responders have to arrive within minutes to provide oxygen because rapid breathing can slow the development of pressure in the brain, said Dr. Garth Smith, who leads a brain injury team at a childcare facility in Kingston. While Dr. Smith wasn’t involved with the Eaton Centre victim’s case, he’s worked with two children who fully recovered from gunshot wounds.