AMALGA, Utah — It’s been three years since Deserae Turner’s life changed forever. At just 14 years old, Deserae became a crime victim. She was shot in the head and left for dead in a cold canal in Smithfield in February 2017.
It’s been a difficult road, filled with pain, surgeries and healing.
“The very hardest part is to see her suffering and in so much pain and I can’t do a dang thing about it,” her dad Matt said.
Life is a roller coaster filled with a lot of ups and downs, Deserae said.
“I get migraine headaches every day. I expect one, at least one, maybe I’ll get 5,6,7, 10 a day but at least for sure I will get one,” she said.
Each day brings something different.
“We have good days, we have bad days and then we have really bad days,” Matt said.
While her chronic pain is still a major part of her life, there is something that could help with Deserae’s arm function.
“My arm has not functioned for three years, and to finally have sometime as big as your arm and hand back, it’s like unbelievably exciting,” she said.
Her family is raising money for a robotic left arm prosthesis and a three-week neurorehabilitation clinic visit. The idea of being able to do simple things like make dinner again has Deserae excited.
“I’m doing some of the work, and then it [the prosthesis] is doing some of the work, and together we will have a full functioning arm,” she said.
Her recovery has been amazing and she never stops fighting, but this could be life changing, Deserae says.
“If I do get that new stepping stone, I will be able to go a mile further than I ever thought possible,” she said.
Despite the difficulties, Deserae keeps a smile on her face.
“I think people can see that I am a fighter, they can see I am a positive person,” she said.
If you would like to help, the Turner family is selling t-shirts, hoodies & zip up sweatshirts.
