For Amy Forchas, a pediatric ICU nurse in Minneapolis, Wednesday morning began like any other shift at Hennepin Healthcare. But within hours, her day turned into every parent’s worst nightmare. Victims from a nearby school shooting began flooding into the hospital — children injured during an attack at Annunciation Catholic School and Church. Among them was her 12-year-old daughter, Sophia, who had been critically wounded in the violence.
The shooting, which claimed the lives of two children and left 17 others injured, has left the Minneapolis community reeling. For Amy, however, the tragedy is not only professional but deeply personal. She found herself caught in the dual roles of caregiver and mother, trying to save young lives while grappling with the reality that her own child’s future now hung in the balance.
According to hospital staff, Amy worked side by side with her colleagues as the victims arrived in waves, each child carrying physical wounds and visible terror. Even as she remained calm under pressure, those around her could see the fear etched into her face the moment Sophia was rushed in. Her daughter required emergency surgery in the ICU — the same unit where Amy has spent years tending to other families’ children.
Sophia’s younger brother was at the school that morning as well. Though he escaped without physical injuries, he witnessed the chaos unfold and is now struggling to process the trauma. For Amy, the weight of knowing both of her children were touched by the violence — one physically, the other emotionally — is almost unbearable.
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