WAUSAU, Wis. — An 8-year-old boy who was struck by lightning in central Wisconsin could be released from the hospital Thursday.

Blake Draeger, of Weston, was struck June 26 as he rode his dirt bike in a field in the Town of Rib Falls. The lightning ruptured his eardrums, scratched the lenses of his eyeballs and left more than a quarter of his body covered with second-degree burns.

He's recovering at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison.

"He's ready to go home and play with his friends, and he is so tough that I think he's going to be just fine," the boy's father, Chris Draeger, tells Daily Herald Media (http://wdhne.ws/14QAH46 ).

The medical team at UW doesn't predict any permanent damage to Blake's ears or eyes, Chris Draeger said. Doctors visit with him every couple of days to remove more of the burned skin that covers most of his body.

He could go home as early as Thursday.

The boy's nickname is "Tuffy," and his grandfather's wife, Jenifer Wilhelm, said the name accurately describes how Blake is dealing with the situation.

"When he first came to, he seemed overwhelmed by what had happened to him," Wilhelm said. "But today his mood is 100 percent better than it was a couple days ago, and every day he is getting better and asking more questions."