Woman Shot In The Head By James Holmes Survived Due To Rare Brain Defect
Petra was shot four times during the massacre, but is surviving because of a brain defect she never even knew she had! Read on for details.
One of the many wounded during James Holmes‘ horrific attack on an unsuspecting theater audience during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado on July 20 is Petra Anderson. Petra was shot four times, including once in the head, but she’s miraculously survived.
According to a blog post by her pastor, Brad Strait, the 22-year-old student has a rare genetic defect that left a small area of fluid running from the front of her brain to the back. Because the shotgun pellet that hit Petra in the nose traveled through this fluid, it missed her brain matter. “Like a marble through a small tube, the defect channels the bullet from Petra’s nose through her brain. It turns slightly several times, and comes to rest at the rear of her brain. And in the process, the bullet misses all the vital areas of the brain,” her pastor wrote.
The bullet was still lodged in the back of her cranium when she went in for surgery, but because of the defect, she is already showing clear signs of recovery, according to the Daily Mail. Petra has started walking, talking, and returning to what her pastor describes as “herself.” “Petra is groggy and beat up, but she is herself. Honestly, I look worse before my morning coffee,” he writes.
Petra’s family is raising funds to help cover what will be considerable hospital bills. They’ve created a video to aid their fundraising efforts and, according to the Daily Mail, have already raised $45,000 of their $250,000 goal. Watch the video below.
We continue to keep Petra, and all others injured or affected by July 20′s tragic events, in our thoughts.
– Billy Nilles
Click here to view the embedded video.
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