Shot 4 times while pregnant, mom sees daughter graduate 18 years later

On a May afternoon in 2007, Rose Smith was on her way home from the grocery store when gunfire suddenly erupted. She had been planning to prepare her signature turkey dish for Memorial Day weekend, but before she could reach her front door, Smith had been shot four times.One bullet struck her jaw, two hit her left arm and another entered her spine. As she collapsed on her doorstep, Smith was fighting for her life, and for the life of a baby she was carrying.‘Don’t let me die’Smith was three months pregnant, although most of her family did not know she was expecting. As she lay injured, she began praying.“At that moment, everything flashed in front of me,” Smith told PEOPLE. “I just started pleading to God, praying, ‘Don’t let me die. Don’t let me die. I still had a lot of life ahead of me.’”At the hospital, doctors told Smith she might never walk again. Her jaw had been shattered and would require risky surgery. There was also a frightening uncertainty surrounding her unborn child: doctors estimated only a 50-50 chance that the baby would survive the operation.Smith eventually emerged from surgery with her mouth wired shut. But there was one piece of news that gave her hope.“I came out with my mouth wired shut and the baby had a heartbeat,” Smith recalled. “That was actually a blessing in itself, for [her] to have a heartbeat after she got out.”A baby named MiracleSix months after the shooting, Smith gave birth to her daughter via C-section.There was no long debate over the baby’s name.“It was for the moment,” Smith said. “It’s self-explanatory.”She named her Miracle.Nearly two decades later, that little girl has grown into an 18-year-old preparing to begin college.From caring for her mother to pursuing nursingMiracle Tisdale recently graduated from Mary Star of the Sea, a Catholic high school in Los Angeles. She completed four years on the Principal’s Honor Roll and served as captain of her traveling cheerleading team.In August, she will begin studying at California State University, Fullerton, with the goal of becoming a registered nurse.Her career ambition is closely connected to the woman who gave her life.“I look at her and I’m overwhelmed every day,” Smith said. “I see her growing into the beautiful, independent woman that she is.”Miracle became interested in nursing as early as third grade. Over the years, she helped her mother manage everyday tasks, including shopping and bathing.“I already know how to do basic [skills],” she said.Smith, now 42, continues to experience muscle spasms and other effects of the shooting. She periodically requires hospital care and has had to navigate life with a disability.During her pregnancy, she had to regain movement in her left arm and learn to use a wheelchair while caring for two toddlers.“I was just angry. I didn’t do anything to deserve that,” Smith said of the shooting, which was never solved.But she found motivation in her children.“She sticks by me through the good, the bad, the ugly,” Smith said of Miracle. “She’s stood through it all.”“There are certain times where I end up back in the hospital with my disability,” she continued, noting that she returns about every six months. “And it’s a battle for [Miracle] and she’s just definitely strong-minded. She’s definitely a leader.”A chance encounter changed Miracle’s futureMiracle’s path to her high school also began with an unexpected connection.After she completed eighth grade, a police officer who had worked on her family’s case got back in touch. The officer connected Miracle with Operation Progress, an LAPD partnership with the organisation Strive that provides mentoring and scholarship opportunities.That introduction eventually helped Miracle secure a full scholarship to her private school.The adjustment was difficult at first.“I think it was a learning curve,” Miracle said. “At first, I felt like I didn’t belong there because I didn’t really know people.”But she eventually found her place and developed friendships that became like family.“They became sisters and family to me,” she said.The moment Rose had prayed forThen came the moment Smith had spent years hoping she would live to see.In May, Miracle walked across the stage at her high-school graduation with her mother watching from the audience.For Smith, the ceremony brought back years of memories - the shooting, the surgeries, the disability and the sacrifices that followed.“So much went through my mind because it took so much energy, so many sacrifices,” Smith said. “There were long days, there were stressful days, but through it all we made it through and that was the moment I prayed to God to see.”The milestone seemed to pass almost as quickly as it arrived.“I was just praying to get through to see that moment and the four years, it went by so fast and that moment went by so fast,” Smith recalled. “I was just trying to soak up the moment.”Now Miracle is preparing to leave home for college. She admits she is excited and nervous about starting another chapter, but she is taking her family’s philosophy with her.“All things happen for a reason. That’s how I look at things now,” she said.Looking for trusted parenting advice? Follow TOI Parenting Circle on Instagram for expert guidance, relatable stories, and practical tips delivered every day.