There are “rays of hope” for 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, who was critically injured in a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, her neurosurgeon said. However, it remains difficult to predict her recovery.
The shooter, Robin Westman, opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School during a church service on Wednesday, August 27, killing two children, aged 8 and 10, before taking his own life.
Bullet Lodged in Brain, Surgery Performed
Sophia is in intensive care at Hennepin Healthcare. Neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich revealed that a bullet remains lodged in her brain, causing severe damage to a major blood vessel.
Surgeons had to remove the left half of her skull to relieve pressure. Dr. Galicich said:
“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.”
Sophia is mostly kept in a medically induced coma to control swelling. She is opening her eyes and showing slight movement in her right leg, but she is not yet responding to commands.
“It’s day by day, and I can’t tell you how this is going to end,” the doctor said. “I know she’s had a stroke from that injury to that blood vessel. I don’t know what her permanent deficits are going to be. But we’re a little bit more optimistic that she’s going to survive.”
Family Speaks Out
Sophia’s father, Tom Forchas, called her “my precious angel”: “Sophia is kind. She is brilliant. She is full of life. She’s an innocent child who was attacked while in prayer. Words cannot begin to describe the terror and heartbreak that come with learning such devastating details.”
He added, “Sophia has received prayers from across the globe. It is nothing short of miraculous to know that millions of people have lifted her name in hundreds of millions of prayers.”
He credited the support of the community: “Sophia is strong. Sophia is fighting. And Sophia is going to win this fight for all of humanity.”
GoFundMe Launched for Medical Care
A GoFundMe for Sophia and her family explains that she has already undergone emergency surgery. Funds are being raised for:
- Critical medical care and recovery
- Trauma counseling for Sophia and her younger brother
- Family support services and therapy
- Lost wages for the family
The fundraiser notes that Sophia’s mother, a Pediatric Critical Care nurse, arrived at work to help during the tragedy before learning her daughter was injured.
At the time of writing, $1,050,638 had been raised of the $1,130,000 target.
