With the alarming rise of trans killings across the country, the survival of Daniela Calderon Rivera, who was shot six times, is a testament of strength. 

In an interview with CNN from her hospital bed in Dallas, the trans woman of color explained the violence she suffered is not rare for trans women like herself. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Texas is one of the top states with the most trans killings.

On September 20, 29-year-old Itali Marlowe was allegedly shot and killed by a male roommate. Her death marked the 20th trans person to be killed in America this year, and the fourth to be murdered in Texas. 

The stakes for women like Calderon Rivera who are sex workers are high, which according to CNN is her only means of survival as an undocumented immigrant. 

Following the death of her mother when she was 10 years old, Calderon Rivera's father abandoned the family. Despite her efforts to maintain a job once she was old enough, she was unsuccessful after being the target of workplace discrimination. 

The day of her attack started normally, as a man in a red pickup truck approached Calderon Rivera, asking for sex. She agreed and got in his vehicle, but things took a turn when the man asked her a question. 

“Why is your voice deep,” she recalled the man asked her.

She responded in Spanish, “I am transgender.” 

“He started saying, ‘Oh, so you’re a guy, not a girl? I hate people like you,’” she recalled. 

Calderon Rivera said she hopped out of the truck, and the man began following her and lashing out with homophobic and transphobic language. 

She said she found what seemed to be a safe place at a bus stop, but soon saw the truck coming toward her. 

“He stopped and he started shooting,” she tearfully described. “This is the worst memory I will have for all of my life.”

Domingo Ramirez-Caventa was charged in connection to Calderon Rivera's near-fatal shooting. Court documents stated he confessed to the crime and admitted his disgust for the trans community. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime.

Stacey Monroe, a transgender activist in Dallas with Organización Latina de Trans en Texas, has been by Calderon Rivera’s side since learning about the attack. 

“I can relate to her because I once felt like I was alone and I didn't want anyone else to feel that way,” she said

Monroe said she knows all too well about the perils facing transgender people. She suspects the number of fatal and violent incidents may be higher than most people think due to misidentification and unreported crimes. 

She also mentioned sex work is often the only choice for trans women who face discrimination and fear a lack of protection in the workplace. However, the U.S. Supreme Court will soon consider whether federal law can bar employment discrimination. 

Calderon Rivera said she is hopeful of leaving the hospital but fears what will happen. 

“My biggest fear is that soon I will be out of this hospital, but this person is also out. I am afraid that he is going to finish what he started,” she said. 

The fear that Calderon Rivera describes is not a phantom or unreal. As dozens of trans women have been killed this year, ABC News' primetime show Nightline recently aired a special report on the rising number of killings and violence against the transgender community.