U.S. & World

(CBS) The Florida teen badly burned last month when he was surrounded and set on fire in an apartment complex parking lot -- allegedly by five kids from his school -- has finally been able to tell detectives what happened.

Michael Brewer, 15, of Deerfield Beach, gave them a full account Monday.

He suffered second- and third-degree burns over two-thirds of his body and is listed in guarded condition in Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

His mother, Valerie Brewer, told "Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith Wednesday Michael is making progress in "leaps and bounds. (Tuesday) in physical therapy, they actually had him up, walking up and down the stairs."

Michael's physician, Dr. Nicholas Namias, the head of Jackson Memorial's burn center, says Michael "still has significant hurdles ahead. They're not dramatic hurdles every day, they're hard work hurdles for him, over the long haul. ... He has to go to physical therapy every day. And it hurts. Every motion, every movement, because his major joints really all are affected. Every motion that you and I take for granted hurts him."

In the days after Michael was set on fire by a group of teens, his mother sat at his hospital bedside and worried.

"How are we going to get through this?" she recalls wondering. She was a switchboard operator. Her husband had been laid off as a maintenance two months prior. The family didn't have health insurance.

Never mind the anger that welled up after police said five of Michael's middle school classmates doused him with rubbing alcohol last month and set him ablaze, causing burns over 65 percent of his body. Police said the attack in a Miami-area apartment complex happened a day after Michael called police when some of the other boys tried to steal his father's bike. Michael may also have owed one of the boys money for a video game.

Valerie Brewer said she "got down on her hands and knees and gave her anger to God."

Then, she said, miracles happened. People in South Florida held fundraisers for her family. Cards and letters of support poured in from around the world. Rocker Ozzy Osbourne heard about Michael and sent him a boom box and some of his music.

"It has just been overwhelming," said Brewer, who spoke to the media Wednesday. "It really has renewed my faith in mankind."

More than $100,000 has been raised on Michael's behalf. "(We came) very close to losing Michael," Valerie told Smith. "We are eternally grateful for all of the prayers and cards and letters that we have gotten from everybody. ... It's incredible. It's not just (our) community, it's the world. We're receiving letters and cards from as far away as Russia. It's really incredible. It's restored my faith in humanity. It's helped us to get through our daily achievements with Michael."

Police say a dispute over $40 led to Brewer being doused with rubbing alcohol, then set ablaze.

He is scheduled to undergo his first skin graft on the backs of his legs next week. But his recovery is not all smooth. He is in intense pain, said his mother, especially when a nurse changes his dressings every day and gently washes his wounds.

Michael calls it his "torture time."

"He screams," she said. "But he cranks up Ozzy on the boom box and focuses on the music."

Michael doesn't dwell on the Oct. 12 attack.

"He's my hero," she said. "The fact that he can get through this on a daily basis without showing any anger is just incredible to me."

Three of the five teens accused in the attack were charged earlier this month as adults. Two others were released without charges.

The youngest of the alleged perpetrators, Jeremy Jarvis, 13, spoke to the media Tuesday, apologizing for his role in the incident.

"I want to express my deepest sympathy for Mikey and his family," Jarvis said, reading from a prepared statement in front of his lawyer's office. "I will pray for Mikey to grow stronger every day and for Mikey's speedy recovery."

Jarvis asserted that the attack wasn't premeditated.

Though he's not charged with a crime, Jarvis and another teen are said to have stood by as the others carried out the fiery attack. The others face charges carrying a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted, authorities say.

One of the accused is Jarvis' older brother. His former schoolmates have been charged as adults with attempted murder and could face 30 years behind bars.

Valerie Brewer said she doesn't have time to pay attention to the court case. She sleeps at Michael's bedside overrnight and rests at the nearby Ronald McDonald House during the day. When she or her husband are feeling down, she said, they read through a stack of cards from well-wishers. Michael likes hearing them read aloud, too.

On Thanksgiving, Valerie will stick to her routine.

She and her husband will be at Michael's bedside, while her other daughter — Michael's older sister — will be at their home in Deerfield Beach. Folks in the community there will bring dinner to her daughter, and Brewer will call and everyone can say grace together, over the telephone.

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