For pediatric ICU nurse Amy Forchas, Wednesday began as a normal shift—until victims of the Annunciation Catholic School shooting were rushed into Hennepin Healthcare.
Among them was her 12-year-old daughter, Sophia, critically wounded in the attack that killed two and injured 17. Suddenly, Amy’s professional duty collided with her worst fear.
As “terrified children filled the ICU,” she cared for patients while praying for her own child. Sophia was taken into emergency surgery, while her younger brother—though unhurt—struggled with the trauma he witnessed.
“In the chaos, Amy’s hands remained steady as she worked, even while her heart raced.” Colleagues called her courage extraordinary as she moved between patients with calm precision, even as her family’s future hung in the balance.
This tragedy shows how school shootings devastate entire communities. For Amy, it became “a test of her medical training but of her emotional endurance.” As Sophia recovers, Amy’s resilience stands as a beacon amid heartbreak.
