Twelve-year-old Devin Funck came home from the hospital last week and hasn’t wasted a minute getting back to being a kid.

“As soon as we got home from the hospital he pulled his shirt off and hopped on his bicycle, bandages and all,” said Devin’s mom, Kim Funck. “He tires easily, but it’s unbelievable how full of energy he still is.”

The youngster lost his left arm July 30 in a vicious alligator attack while swimming in a local retention pond. Despite the best efforts of wildlife officials and emergency personnel to retrieve the arm, doctors at New Orleans’ Ochsner Hospital were unable to reattach it.

Devin Funck

Devin returned home Aug. 10, and in between doctor visits he has become something of a media darling. The story has received national attention, and in addition to appearing on several local stations, Devin and his mom flew to New York recently to tape a segment of “The Early Show” on CBS.

Cards, letters and phone calls have been pouring in from all over the country.

A Florida man, Kermit George, lost his arm in a similar attack at an Alabama lake in 1986 and contacted Devin to offer his support.

“I just want to tell him to keep going,” said George, now in his 60s and a civil engineer. “He’ll be surprised at what he can still accomplish if he just doesn’t give up.”

Closer to home, Devin has been nicknamed “The Living Legend” for managing to survive what could easily have been a fatal attack. Family and friends took him to a recent Saints preseason game at the Superdome against the Houston Texans, where he got to meet Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey and Aaron Stecker, among others. All signed autographs and shook his hand.

“Jeremy Shockey, he said ‘what’s up’ and stuff,” said Devin. “Everybody was really cool.”

Devin was fitted for a prosthetic arm before he left the hospital and will go to a prosthesis clinic for another fitting for a “dummy,” or temporary arm, to wear until he becomes accustomed to the device. It will eventually be weighted to match the weight of his other arm.

Doctors estimate he will need to be refitted about once a year as he grows, and several companies, both local and out-of-state, have offered to donate a prosthesis for Devin.

Hundreds of similar gestures of support have come forward. A bank account has been set up in Devin’s name at Capital One to help with medical expenses, and a custom car show set for Sept. 6 at the Northshore Harbor Center has already drawn a great deal of support.

Louisiana Sen. A.G. Crowe is on board, using part of his “Senate Salary Fund” to pay for the rental of the Harbor Center during the event.

The show will start at 11 a.m., and admission is $7, or “Seven for Devin.” It will feature vintage and custom cars, trucks and motorcycles, musical entertainment and food. Members of the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office, Fire Protection District 1 and others who were involved in the incident will also be recognized, and the entire Funck family expects to be on hand for the festivities.

“We will absolutely be there,” said Kim. “We’re looking forward to it so we can thank everyone who has been so generous and helpful.”

In the meantime, the family is coping as best they can. Devin has doctor’s appointments a couple of times a week and will begin homebound studies with a teacher from Little Oak Middle School sometime next week.

The youngest of four, Devin has two older sisters and a brother who are “very protective,” according to Kim. She also said that while he most likely will be able to swim again at some point in the future, she won’t let him go near any lakes anytime soon.