BRAINTREE, Mass. -- Last May, 13-year-old Jack Shadduck of Braintree felt a strange tingling in his body while out delivering newspapers. An hour later, he was paralyzed from the neck down, the victim of a rare spinal cord inflammation.

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Thursday, Jack came home from the hospital, vowing not to let his illness get in the way of life.

NewsCenter 5's Mary Saladna reported that as Jack prepared to leave Franciscan Children's Hospital after five and a half months, he said that he couldn't wait to get back to his home.

"I feel great. It's going to be awesome," he said. "I can just hang out with my brother and sister again, see all my friends. Hopefully get back to school."

A rare condition, transverse myelitis, paralyzed Jack from the neck down. He is now able to breathe without a ventilator, but he is still confined to a wheelchair. Time and physical therapy will tell where he goes from here.

"His strength and courage has been so amazing," said his father, Joe Shadduck. "I honestly can say unless he's sick ... he has not been down."

When he arrived home, Jack was greeted by a huge crowd of friends and family.

"There's a lot of people here, and I'm glad to see that so many people care about Jack," classmate Meghan Mahoney said.

Jack's parents said that they've never felt alone.

"It's incredible, and this is the way it's been for the whole five months," said his mother, Marie Shadduck. "They've cooked meals for us. They've taken care of our children. They've been there every step of the way, along with our family and friends. This is such a wonderful community."

While his prognosis is unclear, Jack said that he is ready for whatever happens.

"I hope to get better," Jack said. "If I don't, oh well. I'll learn to live with it."