Baby shot in the Bronx released from hospital after extensive rehab
NEW YORK - An 11-month-old baby shot by a stray bullet in the Bronx is finally back home after spending five months in the hospital.
As CBS2's Ali Bauman reports, her parents call her a miracle baby. After being shot in the head just a few months ago, doctors warned that little Catherine may never be able to walk again.
But Friday, she is on her feet, and like most toddlers, she can barely stand still.
At 16 months old, Catherine Arias waddled her way out of Blythedale Children's Hospital Friday, guided by a standing ovation from NYPD officers.
"Finally, this is a light at the end of the tunnel," Catherine's mother, Miranda Gomez, said.
In January, the then 11-month-old was with her mother in a parked car on Valentine Avenue in the Bronx when a gunman opened fire, running through the street.
He was aiming for someone else, but his bullet pierced Catherine's head. It happened two days before Catherine's first birthday.
"We really didn't know what the outcome would be following her injury. It felt like there was a dark cloud over us because everything was unknown," Gomez said.
"Nobody should have to go outside and worry about, is this gonna happen to me? Am I next?" Catherine's father, Gregory Arias, said.
Doctors say Catherine came to the hospital practically paralyzed on one side of her body. She had to be intubated, and required feeding tubes. But with her parents by her side, for the past five months, Catherine has been relearning how to walk, talk and feed from a bottle.
"I don't think anyone would've imagined her walking out of here when she first came in," said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Scott Klein.
"Nobody wants to imagine something like this happening to their child," Arias said.
But sadly, Klein says more parents are facing that reality.
"We've been seeing on our own end, as a children's rehabilitation hospital, more children coming to us with gunshot wounds," Klein said.
The NYPD still has not made any arrests in Catherine's case, but her father remains confident the gunman will be found.
"The person who did this: You're a coward. You're a punk. You're an idiot. You have NYPD after you. You're done," Gregory Arias said.
Catherine will continue her rehabilitation at the hospital as an outpatient.
Klein says there is a lot to be hopeful for, considering her progress already and her age. He says there is a good chance she will make a full recovery.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.