'Brighter days come after the dark ones:' brother stands by paralyzed 13-year-old

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Everything is changing at home for DJ Lloren.

"You can see they've already started on this stuff, all the carpets gone," Lloren said.

The 21-year-old Fresno State wrestler gave us a tour of a home in transition.

Like his brother, Makai Lloren is a wrestler, but at Alta Sierra Intermediate, and life handed Makai a takedown earlier this month.

He landed on his neck when he tried a double front flip on the trampolines at Defy Clovis and broke his neck.

He's paralyzed from the waist down right now with injuries to his C6 and C7 vertebrae.

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"Every day. Every day I ask why. That's when you have to have faith that God has a plan for everyone," DJ said.

DJ says his brother has always been a positive kid, so he's still cracking jokes in the hospital.

He's transferred to Valley Children's in the last few days where he has a bigger room and eight hours of intense rehab every day.

"I said you got to attack all these exercises as if you were at a practice. I mean, he knows how hard practices are. You have to look at it as a challenge and to get past it," DJ said.

Makai's goal now is to just improve a little every day. He can move his arms, so he'll work on those a lot.

And he could go home within a month.

When he gets there, he might not recognize the place.

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With help from old friends and new supporters, his family is taking out a game room to make a bigger bedroom, and stretching the hallways to fit a wheelchair.

"What's come has been incredible and amazing things just from the community support, so the brighter days come after the dark ones," DJ said.

Makai's light could be back to school by April, and his brother says his future holds the best life he could possibly lead.