Sutherland Springs victim speaks about emotional, physical damage

TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The massacre in Uvalde took place only two hours from the worst mass shooting in Texas history.

It's been almost five years since 26 people were killed and 22 injured inside a church in Sutherland Springs.

Every one of those days since has been a struggle for a 10-year-old boy who somehow survived.

His mother says her family still endures physical, emotional and financial hardships. 

Ryland Ward will have surgery again next week. 

It will be his 31st operation since being pulled from the carnage inside a Sutherland Springs church, where he was wounded along with 21 other people in 2017.

Ryland's stepmother and two sisters were among the 26 who died.

"He puts on a brave face for everyone," says his mother Chancie McMahan. 

McMahan could only shake her head in disbelief two weeks ago after more children were killed and injured in another mass shooting only two hours away in Uvalde.

"The difference between me as a mom and them as parents is my baby got to come home with me and theirs didn't," she says. 

McMahan says her sons legs, arms and hip will never fully recover from the damage of rifle rounds.

Although Ryland isn't shy about showing off his scars, his mom says the trauma changed him.

"He has struggled everyday with anxiety and PTSD," she said, "I feel like the older he's getting after the incident the worse it's getting."

With three other children to raise while also caring for Ryland, this single mother says the challenges are not just physical and mental.

"With surgeries like this he has to be down for a while, so it just puts me in panic because I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills," says his mother. "I am going to be evicted if I don't get some help."

Ryland's unbreakable smile and positive outlook are helping his family inch its way down the road to recovery.

His mother says families in Uvalde will need to be strong and prepare to feel alone once the spotlight fades.

"Mentally, it's going to stay with them forever and I suggest making sure they get counseling and all the therapy that they need," she said. "As time as gone by, I don't want to say people have forgotten, but the support has slowed down."

An online donation page has been created to help Ryland's family with expenses. If you would like to contribute, here is the link.