Parkland Survivor Interns At The Hospital That Saved Her Life

Maddy Wilford nearly died six months ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. She was shot multiple times in her arm and torso, and arrived at Broward Health North in shock and in need of surgery. But now, half a year later, Wilford spent the summer interning at the same hospital, learning about medicine from the doctors who saved her life, reports The New York Times.

“With my injuries, I would have been dead,” said Ms. Wilford, 17, to The Times. “The work they performed on me, and how quickly I recovered, it made me become more interested.”

GBB News: Please pray for Maddy Wilford (Stoneman Douglas)! It is confirmed that she was shot 3 times and is still fighting for her life. She survived 2 surgeries yesterday and has another scheduled today. #PrayingForStonemanDouglas #OneFLA pic.twitter.com/wTVqWsvKlw

— BRAZZ Sports (@BRAZZSports) February 15, 2018

Seventeen people were killed during the gunman’s rampage at Wilford’s school on Valentine’s Day last year, but Wilford is now part of another group: The 17 people who were shot and survived. And now they are all finding their way forward. Wilford told The Times that she is focusing on medicine because “that’s what I understand.” She returned to the hospital to decide if she still wanted to become a doctor, which was her goal before the shooting.

Another #StonemanDouglas HERO. Her name is Maddy Wilford and she survived gunshots to the right arm, ribs, and lungs. The resilience is real and alive in this girl. #neveragain #MarchforOurLives? pic.twitter.com/Z8aXEuukdP

— #MarchForOurLives☄️????☀️ (@MarchForOurKids) June 9, 2018

“Some people would go through what she went through and never want to set foot in a hospital again,” said her father, David Wilford, to The Times. But Maddy’s interest in medicine has only increased since her internship. Her father thinks the summer experience helped his daughter heal, “by showing her how to allay the pain of violence and illness,” writes The Times.