Girl critically injured in Minneapolis school shooting making ‘miraculous’ recovery, family says
By Karina Tsui, CNN
(CNN) — A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head during the deadly attack on a Catholic school in Minneapolis last month is making “miraculous” strides in her recovery, her family said in a statement.
Sophia Forchas was in critical condition after the August 27 shooting during a Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, which left two children dead and 21 others injured. It was among at least 47 school shootings and at least 315 mass shootings this year in the United States.
“We’re thrilled to share that Sophia continues to make steady progress, showing promising signs of neurological recovery,” Sophia’s family said in the statement issued Monday by Hennepin Healthcare, where she is hospitalized.
This week Sophia will move from acute care to an inpatient rehabilitation program, according to the statement.
“Her doctors remain cautiously optimistic … though she still has a long journey ahead, filled with extensive therapy, her resilience continues to inspire hope at every step,” the statement read.
A bullet had lodged in Sophia’s brain and caused severe damage her neurosurgeon said earlier this month, noting even then he was astonished at the progress of her recovery.
“The pressure in her brain was very high,” Dr. Walt Galicich said September 5. “If you had told me at this juncture, 10 days later, that we’d be standing here with any ray of hope, I would have said it would take a miracle.”
Galicich took the extraordinary step of surgically removing the left half of Sophia’s skull to accommodate the swelling of her brain.
Sophia was then kept in a medically induced coma most of the time, the neurosurgeon said, adding doctors were banking on the ability of young brains to heal.
Sophia and her younger brother were attending Annunciation Catholic School when a shooter opened fire.
Their mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, had arrived for her shift at Hennepin County Medical Center, where several of the wounded were taken, before even knowing her children’s school was involved.
The 23-year-old shooter, a former Annunciation student, fired into the building through the windows. Robin Westman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, appeared to have posted videos online describing a “deep fascination” with mass shooters, authorities said.
Sophia underwent emergency surgery on the day of the shooting, according to a GoFundMe page. Her younger brother was physically unharmed, according to the page.
“Sophia is strong, brave, and unwavering in her fight toward healing. We ask that you continue to pray for her as she walks this road to recovery. It is by God’s will that she has come this far,” Monday’s statement said.
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CNN’s Casey Tolan, Audrey Ash, John Miller and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
