Teen Paralyzed After House Party Shooting Determined To Beat The Odds
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Deanna Gibson, shot outside a house party in Zion, Illinois on June 8th, awoke from surgery to learn she was paralyzed from the waist down.
Doctors tell her she will not be able to walk again, but as CBS 2's Suzanne LeMignot reports, Gibson says she's determined to beat the odds.
"I got hit, but I fell to the ground. It was ringing in my ears. I couldn't feel nothing," recalled Gibson, reliving the moment when gunfire erupted outside a house party in Zion.
A bullet went through her left arm, left lung, then right lung, paralyzing her from the waist down.
"[They say] that I won't be able to walk and it will be a miracle if I do end up walking," said Gibson, explaining what the doctors keep telling her.
Gibson says she's determined to defy the odds. She undergoes three hours of physical therapy every day at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.
"I kind of keep in mind that I'm going to be able to walk, no matter what," she said.
Gibson recently graduated from North Chicago Community High School where she played for her school's basketball team.
She says if she has to play from a wheelchair while learning to walk again, then that is what she will do.
Her family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay medical expenses and buy her a wheelchair.
Gibson says she will not let any obstacles stop her from fulfilling her dream of becoming a dental hygienist.
"It's going to be difficult," Gibson stated, "but I could still do the things I want to do."
When asked if she had a message for anyone who knows something about the shooting that happened on June 8, she responded, "If you're scared, don't be scared" and wants anyone with information to please come forward.
Zion Police say the shooting is still under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call 847-872-8000.
