{"id":440,"date":"2025-09-19T13:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/?p=440"},"modified":"2025-09-19T13:29:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T17:29:00","slug":"12-year-old-girl-shot-in-head-during-school-shooting-making-a-miraculous-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/2025\/09\/12-year-old-girl-shot-in-head-during-school-shooting-making-a-miraculous-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"12-Year-Old Girl Shot in Head During School Shooting Making a ‘miraculous’ Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: GoFundMe | Right: Moncrief \/ commons.wikimedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Family members of Sophia Forchas shared an update on her recovery, calling it \u201cmiraculous.\u201d Sophia was one of the victims injured when a shooter opened fired on students during mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. She was shot in the head while Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. Sophia\u2019s younger brother was also present during the shooting, though he managed to escape unharmed. The children\u2019s mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, came into work the day her daughter was shot without realizing her Sophia was one of the victims.<\/p>\n

The family describes<\/a> Sophia as \u201ca bright, kind, and full of life young girl.\u201d She was initially listed in critical condition in the ICU, but a recent update from the family shared that her condition had improved to \u201cserious.\u201d \u201cHer progress to this point is being called miraculous.\u00a0We are calling it a miracle,\u201d wrote the family. \u201cThe road ahead for Sophia is steep, but she is climbing it with fierce determination. She is fighting not just for herself, but for every soul who stood by her in prayer.\u00a0Please continue to keep Sophia in your hearts and prayers. She is a warrior! And she is winning!!\u201d The family noted it was especially good news considering doctors had initially warned that Sophia was on the \u201cbrink of death.\u201d \u201cIn that darkest hour, the world responded with faithful devotion and fervent prayer. We thank you for all the prayers, love, and unwavering support from across the globe,\u201d wrote the family.<\/p>\n

Sophia and her family had previously received a visit from Vice President JD Vance. The Vice President shared on an X post that he had met with a number of grieving family members and requested prayer specifically for Sophia. \u201cFirst, to pray for Sophia, who continues to fight for her life every day. Pray for her health, pray for her swelling to be controlled, and pray for strength for her parents, doctors, and nurses,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Sophia\u2019s neurosurgeon, Dr. Walt Galicich, reiterated her miraculous recovery in a press conference. After noting how serious her condition had been upon entry into the hospital, including massive swelling in her brain, Dr. Galicich shared how surprised he was that her condition was improving. \u201cAnd 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,\u201d he said<\/a>. The bullet remains in Sophia\u2019s skull, with doctors believing it could be potentially more harmful to remove it. She still faces a long road to recovery, with a GoFundMe<\/a> being set up to pay for her family\u2019s lost wages and her medical care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Family members of Sophia Forchas shared an update on her recovery, calling it \u201cmiraculous.\u201d Sophia was one of the victims injured when a shooter opened fired on students during mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. She was shot in the head while Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. Sophia\u2019s younger brother…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":443,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n12-Year-Old Girl Shot in Head During School Shooting Making a 'miraculous' Recovery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shot in the head during a church attack, Sophia Forchas is defying the odds with a miraculous recovery her family calls a true answer to prayer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inhishands\/2025\/09\/12-year-old-girl-shot-in-head-during-school-shooting-making-a-miraculous-recovery\/\" \/>\n<meta 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