Offers of assistance have been pouring in for Jahmarley Jackson, the 13-year-old boy who overcame great adversity to emerge top boy at Linton All-Age School in this year’s Primary Exit Profile exam (PEP).

The teen, who was severely injured in an attack on his family last year August, is to receive surgery that will hopefully remove a scar from his face. In addition, Noranda Bauxite Company has increased a grant it made to him, while other Jamaica Observer readers have pledged to assist him with school supplies.

On Monday, the Observer reported the tragedy Jahmarley underwent while walking home with his mother, brother and sister.

They were attacked by the mother’s ex-boyfriend who was armed with a machete. He chopped the woman to death, then turned on the two boys, severely wounding Jahmarley and killing his 10-year-old brother.

For some unknown reason their sister was unharmed in the brutal attack which resulted in Jahmarley losing the fingers on his left hand. The boy also has a long scar across the left side of his face and to the back of his head.

This year when the results for the first cohort of grade six students who sat the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) were released, Jahmarley was acknowledged for his exceptional work in science, language arts, ability testing, and social studies.

Upon hearing that, Noranda Bauxite Company, which previously awarded Jahmarley with a $25,000 grant, increased it a full scholarship of $500,000 ($100,000 for each school year).

“This must be a miracle,” the boy’s father, Algreen Jackson, told Kent Skyers, the community & public relations superintendent at Noranda.

“The company will never know just how much my son and I appreciate this. The boy earned a pass to Ferncourt High and I was just wondering how I was going to afford it, and to hear this now, I just can’t believe it,” the father said.

Since the publication of Jahmarley’s academic achievement on Monday, dermatologist Patricia Yap has extended an offer to assist.

“I have a gift and I would like to use it to help him. Many people don’t know that keloid can be treated, but it can be, so I would like to examine him and I am willing to cover the expenses for him and his father to travel to Kingston,” she said.

Managing director of KingAlarm, John Azar, said that after reading the story he was touched and decided that he had to offer some sort of assistance to the resilient child.

“Many people would go through half or even a quarter of that and maybe not push forward. To have gone through so much and then emerge as top boy at his school, that is exceptional,” Azar said.

“I reached out to plastic surgeon Dr Rajeev Venugopal, and he has offered to examine the scars and if necessary, is willing to dedicate his time to operate on the scars at the University Hospital of the West Indies, and I am willing to assist with the associated costs,” Azar said.

Other entities and individuals have also expressed their desire to help Jahmarley, but wish to not be named at this time.