The Las Vegas shooting that took place in early October rocked the nation. It was only the last shooting in a series that have plagued the U.S. over the last couple of decades. 59 people were killed, and over 500 wounded. For those that tragically died and their families, there are nothing but questions and "what ifs?" For those who were wounded, for many of them, the road to recovery is going to be a long and grueling process.
Tina Frost was struck in the head by a bullet on that fateful night. The shot hit her in the right eye and proceeded to shatter the front portion of her skull. She was left in a coma, with doctors having no answers as to if or when she may wake up.
But this past week, some good news finally managed to make its way out of her hospital room; she had woken up and had even managed to take her first steps.
When Tina first woke up, she was unable to move any parts of her body. But slowly things started to come back online. She has since hit several other milestones including: opening her remaining eye, tapping her foot along to the beat of music, responding to questions with a thumbs up, and most importantly, breathing unassisted.
She has even been able to receive visitors including famed dance group the Jabberwockies.
The community has rallied behind Frost and her family. Her Alma mater Arundel High School, in Maryland, where she herself was a star soccer player have been doing what they can to help the cause. The soccer team held a moment of silence before their last game to honor their wounded former player. The high school has also been raising funds to ensure that they family could get to Vegas to be with Tina, as well as for her continuing rehabilitation.
When the bullet struck Tina's head, it shattered into many tiny pieces that spread throughout her skull. Doctors worked hard to remove as many of the bullet fragments as they could, but unfortunately they just couldn't safely get them all out. Frost's mother, Mary Watson Moreland has said "she will have pieces of the bullet in her brain forever."
Along with the bullet fragments, doctors also decided to remove her damaged right eye, which had been essentially destroyed when she was shot. Doctors are calling her recovery miraculous, but everyone knows that the road to recovery is just beginning.
A GoFundMe page set up to help with Tina's medical costs and rehabilitation has already raised over $500,000. Thank you to all those who have donated, as a parent myself I can't begin to comprehend what it must be like to go through something like this, knowing that your finances are not going to crumble as you do everything to help your child must be a huge relief.
Here's to hoping that more and more of the wounded victims of the Las Vegas shooting start to take their own first steps down the road to recovery.