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A 7-year-old Long Island boy miraculously recovered from a deadly lung condition and was released from a hospital after four years amid a spirited NYPD salute Thursday.
Against all odds, little Anthony Rojas, who was named an honorary service member, left Saint Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside, Queens, to the sound of 100 clapping and cheering cops after a rare genetic mutation led to chronic respiratory failure.
The brave boy — who initially became too sick to receive a lung transplant then recovered without one — pet a police horse in a heartwarming moment outside the hospital, footage shows.
Asked what he plans to do now Rojas said, “I’m going to play with my brother [Dillon].”
Outside the building, he also gave his hospital neighbor, 10-year-old Asmara — with whom he shared an adjoining room for three years — a hug goodbye.
Rojas, who was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis obliterans in 2017, received a full-color guard salute along with toys from the police as part of NYPD HOPE, a community outreach program for sick and disabled kids. He was also named an honorary member of the service.
“It wasn’t easy, but we’re united as a family and supporting each other. This was an unforgettable experience because it’s like one family,” the boy’s dad, Darwin Rojas, 34, said of the hospital.
At a press conference, hospital president Edwin Simpser described the child’s long journey to recovery — saying his parents didn’t expect him to ever leave.
“Almost four years ago, when Anthony first came to Saint Mary’s I’m not sure that anybody, at least in the family, dreamed about a day like this when we would be able to send him home,” Simpser said. “We’re looking forward, Anthony, for you to do great things.”
Hospital staffers convinced the family’s insurance company to cover the cost of Rojas’s medical equipment, including a generator and ventilator, which he’ll need to use at home, police said.
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