Nova Scotia girl attends high school prom after a home invasion left her paralyzed

For Ashley MacLean-Kearse, the journey to her high school prom has been far from easy, but she was determined to put up a fight.

Back in November, the 19-year-old was left a quadriplegic after a home- invasion shooting in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. She survived the incident but was left fighting to press ahead with her life completely changed.

The bullet struck MacLean-Kearse in the spine and left her paralyzed from the chest down. Four people were later arrested on charges including attempted murder.

“I pretty much had my life ripped away from me,” MacLean-Kearse told the news outlet.

While in the hospital recovering, MacLean-Kearse continued to complete her school work and fought back to gain some of her old life back. Her goal was to attend her high school prom in June, reports the CBC.

Yesterday, MacLean-Kearse joined her fellow high school graduates on their special night.

“She can’t do what she wants to do – get up and dance with her friends, which is how it should’ve been,” her mother, Wendy, told CBC. “A lot has been taken away.”

When she was first hospitalized, MacLean -Kearse was in intensive care and couldn’t breathe on her own. Fast-forward a few months and she has now regained some movement in her arms while breathing on her own.

On the day of her high school prom, MacLean-Kearse reached her goal. She dressed up in an off-white gown and had her makeup done. She even received a wheelchair from a kind donation, which helped her stand-up for short periods of time.

“I’d like to stand with all my friends instead of sitting down while everyone is standing up and kind of feel normal again,” MacLean-Kearse told CBC.

After spending the majority of her final high school year recovering, MacLean-Kearse and her family are getting ready to move to Windsor, Ont., where she will continue her recovery with another rehabilitation centre, reports the CBC.

Now that her first goal has been achieved, the young girl hopes one day to walk again.