Mayah Zamora, Uvalde Massacre Survivor, Is Last Victim To Be Released From Hospital
A 10-year-old survivor of the Robb Elementary massacre named Mayah Zamora has been released from University Health in San Antonio after more than two months of intensive care. Mayah, who underwent multiple surgeries during her time at the hospital, is the last victim to be released from University Health, according to BuzzFeed News.
In an update posted to a GoFundMe page posted by her family on June 10, where they raised more than $110,000 for Mayah’s medical expenses, the family wrote: “This long road includes numerous surgeries Mayah had undergone, future surgeries she may require, future hospital and doctor’s visits, mental health/trauma treatment, amongst many other things.”
During her stay, Mayah was visited by country singer Kevin Fowler, reports USA Today, after her family had to miss a concert they had planned to attend. The hospital staff asked Fowler to visit Mayah and her family, leading the singer to surprise her and her family.
Some of Mayah’s friends even set up a lemonade stand in the parking lot of a local church to help pay for the survivor’s medical bills, according to local outlet KENS 5. An avid softball player, Mayah was described by one of her teammates as someone who “would always support us whenever were at a game and whenever we’re sad she would say, ‘You’ll do good next time.’”
Now that Mayah has been discharged, her family plans to focus on outpatient care, including the potential for more surgeries, mental health services and treatment for any long-term effects of the trauma she has faced mentally and physically. In a Facebook update posted on July 2, Mayah’s brother Ruben posted an update that read:
“She is strong, she is determined, she is stubborn, she is hard headed- and on top of all that.. she wants to get out of that hospital. She has surprised the doctors so much, and she’s gunning for more,” adding, “There are so many people who have helped out and are still helping out.”
A video posted to the University Health Twitter page shows Mayah being discharged from the hospital, surrounded by cheering hospital staff, as she hands each of them a flower. The video then shows the 10-year-old outside, getting into a black SUV and driving away with her family.
The tragic May 24 shooting took the lives of 19 children and two teachers and has ignited a nationwide debate about the response from local police officers in Uvalde, Texas. Motherly reports that another survivor of the shooting, teacher Arnulfo Reyes, has heavily criticized Uvalde PD since he was in the hospital, and has continued to do so now that he’s home.
A couple of weeks after the shooting, when Reyes was still in the hospital, he said, “After everything, I get more angry because you have a bulletproof vest. I had nothing,” adding, “You’re supposed to protect and serve — there is no excuse for their actions, and I will never forgive them.”
Survivors of the Uvalde shooting have shared harrowing stories of their experience, including a handful of students who played dead while covered in their classmates’ blood. Mental and physical health services have been arranged for survivors, but the lasting trauma felt throughout the community of Uvalde will never fully dissipate.
