LDT ““Miracle Recovery: Sophia Forchas Walks Out of Hospital Months After Being Shot in Head During Minneapolis Church Attack””
12-year-old Sophia Forchas, who was critically injured in the August 27 shooting at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis, has been released from the hospital, marking a remarkable recovery that has been described as “nothing short of miraculous.”
Sophia was the most seriously wounded among the 30 victims of the attack, which occurred during a school Mass attended by nearly 200 children. The shooter opened fire with a rifle through the church windows, killing two children, ages 8 and 10, and injuring 17 others. Sophia sustained a gunshot wound to the head, with a bullet lodged in her brain and severe damage to a major blood vessel. Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Walt Galicich, performed emergency surgery, including removing part of her skull to relieve pressure. At the time, doctors feared she might become the third fatality of the event.
Despite the severity of her injuries, Sophia’s recovery has been extraordinary. She has regained her ability to speak, walk, swim, and even play basketball. Her parents, Amy and Tom Forchas, expressed immense gratitude for the medical team and the support from the community. Amy, a pediatric critical care nurse, was working at the hospital when her daughter was brought in, unaware that Sophia was among the victims.
On October 23, Sophia was discharged from Gillette Children’s Hospital and escorted home in a stretch limousine by Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, amid cheers from supporters. The Forchas family continues to mourn the loss of the two children who died in the shooting but finds solace in Sophia’s remarkable recovery.
Sophia will continue her rehabilitation with outpatient therapy, and her family remains deeply grateful for the medical care and community support that have been instrumental in her healing journey.
