Janay Moguel is recovering from wounds received during shooting

Janay Moguel

Young Janay Moguel won the hearts of many when she was shot accidentally on Central American Boulevard on February first. One man was killed in the incident, Darrel Williams and Janay’s grandfather was also shot but survived. The seven year old student was left paralyzed and since then has been beating the odds to recover full use of her limbs. Tonight we can confirm that Janay is responding well to treatment in an Alabama hospital. News Five’s Delahnie Bain spoke to Janay and her mother today.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting

After being hit by a stray bullet to the left arm on the first of February, seven year old Janay Moguel has been undergoing intensive treatment. Janay and her mother, Rose, have since left headed to the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham Alabama to increase of chances of regaining the use of her limbs. Rose tells us about her daughter’s current condition.

Via Phone: Rose Moguel, Mother of Janay Moguel

“She is presently paralyzed from the nipples down; that is from the T4 down and they did a nerve conduction study and they also said that the injury has severely affected the nerves in that and that is what’s causing the little to no function in the left arm. Right now she doesn’t have function of that arm; she can only lift the left arm. She doesn’t have function of the fingers, she cannot pick up anything or hold anything with the fingers.”

So will the once active child ever walk again? That is still unknown but her mother is not giving up hope. Rose did, however, say that the major change in their lives is a tough adjustment.

Via Phone: Rose Moguel

“I don’t really tell her that she will not walk again although the doctors say that they don’t expect her to. She still prays very, very much, every night she prays hard. We pray together she and I and I try to keep her spirit up and I tell her you know just pray and maybe God will give us a miracle. But it’s really rough at times; she cries a lot in the night sometimes you know because she misses her family and things like that. It definitely has changed a lot and it’s very hard to deal with to see your child—she was walking perfectly in good health and now she has to be confined to a wheelchair. It is very, very hard. They don’t know what they have done to my family and without the physical support of my family out here it’s really rough. And she questions a lot because Janay is a very smart child. She asks when am I going to walk again, mommy put me on the floor so I can walk, help me into the wheelchair, I’m getting tire of this. She’s getting frustrated you know. It’s very hard to deal with, sometimes I cry; go into another area so she doesn’t see me crying.”

Apart the devastating possibility of being permanently confined to a wheelchair, Janay’s injuries are still causing her physical pain.

Via Phone: Rose Moguel

“She is in pain, the same arm like I told you the left arm, she is on a nerve medication to help with the nerve pain and she has to take that three times a day. She does have pain and I have to be very careful when I lift her into the wheelchair or onto the bed because she has a lot of pain and she complains a lot if we don’t give her the medication. We’re doing therapy, we have been doing therapy five times a week and she’s doing very good in therapy. She can roll from one side to the other, she can move to a sitting position from a laying position and she’s really responding and they are really working hard with her.”

Janay spoke briefly over the phone to say hello to her friends in Belize.

Via Phone: Janay Moguel, Shooting Victim

“Hello to my teacher and my principal and my friends from school Rhea, Aaliyah and Leah and Shevan.”

Via Phone: Rose Moguel

“We want to just say a big thank you to Belize Healthcare Partners, all the doctors and nurses who were very, very good to us especially Doctor Cervantes, we want to thank the public, we want to thank the businesses that assisted and helped with donations and most of all we want to ask them to continue praying for us. Janay needs all their prayers right now.”

While she is not sure how much longer they will be away from home, Rose says Janay has an appointment for an MRI on July fifteenth. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

Rose and Janay have been getting by with financial assistance from family and funds raised in Belize. Rose can be contacted by email at moguelrose@yahoo.com if you would like to offer support or just well wishes.