Paralyzed Chicago Teen Grateful This Thanksgiving

(CBS) – He became paralyzed after being shot outside his home, but to 18-year-old Jonathan Annicks what matters is that he survived.

CBS 2's Sandra Torres tells us why one Chicago family is extremely thankful today.

Thursday was a typical Thanksgiving at the Annicks family household.

As usual, all three sons helped mom make the perfect meal. But one thing was different.

"This is the first time where I'm doing this in a wheelchair," Jonathan says.

Not that it's getting in his way.

"We are still flinging potato peels at each other like we used to. Not a lot has changed. The spirits haven't gone down," he says.

Seven months ago, Jonathan was shot outside his home in Little Village. He was retrieving a cell phone charger from a car when eight shots rang out.

"One bullet was all it took to do the injury," the teen's mother, Herlinda Annicks, says.

Jonathan is now paralyzed from the chest down. He was hospitalized for nearly two months, but since then he's made incredible progress. He's attending DePaul as a freshman, his mother says.

While there still is a long road ahead, there is so much to be thankful for.

"It could be worse," Jonathan says. "One bullet left me paralyzed, but that same bullet could've left me dead, so I'm very thankful to be here."

The Annicks family is also thankful for the amount of donations they've received from strangers. They hope to be able to retrofit their home so he can get in and out more easily. For more information, click here.