Boy defies the odds at Jacksonville hospital

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “Everyone says I’m funny, cool and cute,” 8 year-old Jacob Lopez said with a smile.

It’s been a long road to recovery since Lopez’s car crash last year, but his family can't thank Wolfson Children’s Hospital enough.

“We have the best doctors, the best hospital. It's a big release for me to say -- you know. We're ok,” she explained.

Lopez was put in an induced coma so he could heal, and when he woke up, he was paralyzed from the waist down.

The refreshing part?

Trending on ActionNewsJax.com:

• Mother of slain model from Jacksonville fears for family's safety
• Hundreds of bed bugs infest local apartment
• Report: Jaguars running back Denard Robinson 'asleep' behind wheel in crash
• Man accused of holding wife captive, torturing her for days
• Ohio day care worker, fiance plead guilty to raping children

He's taking his condition in stride and said it doesn't slow him down.

“I do horseback therapy, riding therapy, power soccer, cycling,” he said.

Lopez is also known around Wolfson as a little trickster. He said his favorite prank involved putting a fake cockroach down a nurse's shirt.

He sees specialized doctors and has had eight surgeries so far this year. The good news is, he's at a hospital that was just ranked in the top 50 by U.S. News and World Report.

“Literally, from Atlanta to Orlando, this is the place that kids come and there's a million plus kids in that geographic region,” Wolfson President Michael Aubin said.

Lopez’s strength and positivity recently took him to Washington D.C. for Family Advocacy Day.

He has a message for every little kid who may be up against the odds.

“If people say you can't do anything, they're wrong. They can. You guys can do anything,” he said.

About 80,000 kids go through Wolfson Children’s Hospital each year.

Cox Media Group