Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 9, 1990                   TAG: 9006090096
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

BOY WHO WAS SET AFIRE EAGER TO RESUME LIFE

With the spirit that marked his remarkable recovery, he faced dozens of television cameras and reporters on the lawn of The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and said, "I have to thank God, my doctors and nurses."

"The first thing I want to do is go to school," he said.

Asked how he felt, the boy said in a soft voice: "Fine."

David then was wheeled to an ambulance that took him to a helicopter for transit to the Margaret T. Palomino Rehabilitation Center at Jamaica Hospital.

There he will undergo physical therapy and reconstructive surgery, mostly cosmetic, and receive counseling for the next three to four weeks, doctors said.

David was on his way to school on March 7 when a 13-year-old bully forced him into a building, tied him to a railing and set him afire, police said.

The other boy was arrested hours after the attack and has been jailed at a juvenile center.

David was burned over 55 percent of his body. Doctors first gave him only a 50-50 chance of survival.

He received hundreds of letters from practically every state and from as far as France and his native Haiti. More than $280,000 poured into a fund for his medical expenses.

His hospital visitors included actor Bill Cosby, former President Reagan, Vice President Dan Quayle and Mayor David Dinkins.

"The gifts, cards and letters . . . all of that contributed to bringing David back to life," said Guito Lavoile, a cousin and family spokesman.

Cheers erupted as David was wheeled out of the hospital.

"This is a happy day for David's family and the burn center," said Dr. Cleon Goodwin, director of the burn ward. "It's sad, too. We're going to miss him."

Standing by the boy were his parents, Luther and Prenise Opont; sister; doctors and nurses.

"He has accomplished a lot, but he has a long way to go," Goodwin said.

David, who underwent six skin grafts at the burn ward, will now be counseled on how to deal with the reactions other children may have to his scars.