Girl shot in Minneapolis church returns home from the hospital
MINNEAPOLIS– A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head during a deadly attack at a Minneapolis Catholic church in August was released from the hospital Thursday and greeted with cheers as the police chief paraded her around the city in a long limousine, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Sophia Forchas was the most seriously injured child among those who survived the shooting at the Church of the Annunciation. A shooter opened fire with a rifle through church windows on Aug. 27 and struck some of the nearly 200 children celebrating Mass during the first week of school, killing two people and injuring 17 others. The deceased children were 8 and 10 years old.
Forchas was taken to the operating room. His neurosurgeon, Dr. Walt Galicich, said a bullet lodged in his brain, causing severe damage, including to a major blood vessel. Surgeons had to remove the left half of his skull to relieve the pressure inside his head. At a press conference on September 5, Galicich expressed concern that Forchas could become “the third death in this event.”
He gave her a hug as she left Hennepin County Medical Center, the Star Tribune reported, as many others outside held banners and waved.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who escorted Forchas through the city, described his return home as “nothing short of a miracle.”
She was again greeted with loud applause and lots of hugs as they pulled into her school parking lot.
Her parents, Amy and Tom Forchas, said in a statement they were filled with gratitude to the medical professionals who saved their daughter’s life. They described his return home on Thursday as “one of the most extraordinary days of our lives”.
Her healing journey will continue with outpatient therapy, and she still has a long road to recovery, her parents said, adding that they are thrilled to see daily improvements in her speech, ability to walk and “her personality shining again.”
Another child who suffered head trauma following the shooting, Lydia Kaiser, 12, was also celebrated as she returned to school last week, according to an online fundraising page launched to support her family. Kaiser also underwent surgeries to remove a bullet fragment and relieve pressure inside his head.
