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Sophia Forchas' dad: 'Sophia is fighting' [FULL]
Sophia Forchas was shot in the head while praying at Annunciation Catholic Church during the first week of school. Her dad, Tom Forchas, spoke of his daughter, saying she is "fighting" for all of humanity. Here are his full comments.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Sophia Forchas is in serious condition, an improvement from the critical condition doctors said she was in after being shot in the head during the Annunciation mass shooting.
READ MORE: Annunciation survivor Sophia Forchas' doctor 'a little more optimistic' she'll survive
Sophia Forchas' condition update
What they're saying:
Hennnepin Healthcare officials confirmed Sophia is listed in serious condition.
Doctors said last week that she could become the third fatality in the shooting after being placed in a medically-induced coma.
Sophia's neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich said during a news conference last week that Sophia came into the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, and was in critical condition. Her eyes were bilaterally fixed and dilated, meaning the pressure in her head was very high.
READ MORE: Mpls ICU nurse was working when daughter arrived 'critically injured' from school shooting
"And 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," Dr. Galicich said in the news conference.
The bullet still remains in Sophia's head. Dr. Galicich says removing the bullet will not help Sophia's situation and could actually make it worse.
Doctors had to remove the left half of her skull to give her brain room to swell. The bullet's path injured some critical vessels in the brain, and doctors did their best to repair the vessel and stop the bleeding.
Sophia's injuries and support
The backstory:
Sophia was injured in the shooting at Annunciation, according to a GoFundMe page and a post by St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church.
She was critically injured and underwent surgery, the church said.
Sophia's younger brother was also inside the school during the shooting but wasn't physically injured, the GoFundMe page said.
The GoFundMe page says Sophia's mother is a pediatric critical care nurse who went to work to help before discovering the shooting happened at her children's school and that her daughter was among the injured.
The Source: This story uses information shared by the Hennepin Healthcare and previous FOX 9 reporting.