After suffering a near-fatal gunshot wound when she was only 5 years old, Raven Wyatt is living her best life.
Wyatt recently sat down with CBS News to share an update to her story, which was forever changed on July 2, 2009.
As the then-5-year-old girl was preparing to celebrate Independence Day, she was tragically struck by a stray bullet.
“The bullet went in through the front of her head, crossed one part of her brain — almost like a question mark — and got stuck in her cerebellum,” Danielle Brooks, Raven Wyatt’s mother, said, CBS News reports.
“It’s still in there; you can’t take it out. If they took it out, if they did that, it would kill her,” she continued.
After sustaining such a traumatic brain injury at only 5 years old, doctors reportedly didn’t believe that Wyatt would survive; however, Brooks kept her faith, noting that “prayer is always powerful.”
Ultimately, after being in a lengthy coma and going through numerous surgical procedures, Wyatt began to show signs of recovery.
“She couldn’t walk, she couldn’t talk, she couldn’t eat,” Brooks recalled. “She would do rehab from 6 in the morning and sometimes be at the hospital until 10 at night.”
“I don’t remember… I don’t remember nothing,” Wyatt noted, according to CBS News.
Now, Raven Wyatt is a young woman who’s preparing to head off to one of Maryland’s illustrious HBCUs.
“I’m going to college. I’m going to Morgan. I want to major in business,” Wyatt revealed.
Raven Wyatt was shot when she was 5.
She couldn’t walk/talk & was told she wouldn’t live.
13 years later, Raven graduated HS & is now off to college – with the bullet still inside her head.
She’s the most inspiring person I’ve met in Baltimore❤️👇@WJZ https://t.co/DsrtVRx7Rr
— Rick Ritter (@RickRitterWJZ) September 20, 2022
We should also note that she won “best smile” at her high school, and she shared that she smiles so often because of “the joy of being alive.”
“I just be crying every time I see how good she’s doing and the impact she has on people,” Wyatt’s mother proudly said, CBS News reports.
“Her soul is just amazing” Brooks continued. “She really is that special, one of a kind person.”
Shoutout to Raven Wyatt, and we wish her the best of luck on her educational journey!
