Nurse’s Shift Shattered When Her Daughter Arrives Wounded From Minneapolis Shooting

In a devastating convergence of professional duty and personal tragedy, an ICU nurse at a Minneapolis hospital experienced what many healthcare professionals consider their worst nightmare: providing critical care in the same unit where her own child arrived as a trauma patient.

Twelve-year-old Sophia Forchas was among the 18 people injured when a gunman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic Church school in South Minneapolis on August 27, 2025. According to information from a GoFundMe campaign and parish officials, Sophia's mother was working her shift in the hospital's intensive care unit when her critically wounded daughter arrived for emergency treatment following the shooting.

GoFundMe

The GoFundMe account for the family reads,

“On August 27th 2025, our community was shattered by a heartbreaking school shooting that injured several students — including 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, a bright, kind, and full of life young girl who is now fighting for her life.

Sophia was shot during the attack and is currently in critical condition in the ICU. She has already undergone emergency surgery, and her medical team is doing everything they can to stabilize her. Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone.

Adding to the heartbreak, her younger brother was also inside the school during the shooting. Though he was physically unharmed, the trauma of witnessing such a terrifying event — and knowing his sister was critically injured — is something no child should ever experience.

Furthermore, her mother, a Pediatric Critical Care nurse, arrived at work to help during the tragedy, before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked, and that her daughter was critically injured.

Her parents are by her side, holding onto hope while also trying to support their son through the emotional aftermath. The financial strain is enormous: ongoing ICU care, future surgeries, trauma counseling, lost income, travel, and the countless unknowns that lie ahead.

We are raising funds to support this brave family during the hardest moment of their lives. Donations will go directly toward:

• Sophia’s critical medical care and recovery

• Trauma counseling for both children

• Family support services and therapy

• lost wages for the family

Please, if you are able, donate to help this family hold onto hope. And if you can’t give, sharing this page means more than you know. Together, we can ease some of the burden they never should have had to carry.

Thank you for your compassion, support, and prayers.

With heartfelt gratitude”

>> Donate to their GoFundMe here

About The Attack

The attack, carried out by 23-year-old Robin Westman, claimed the lives of two children—ages 8 and 10—and left 14 children between the ages of 6 and 15 injured, along with several adult parishioners. Seven victims were initially reported in critical condition, though medical teams expect all survivors to recover.

The FBI is investigating the attack as a potential hate crime, according to multiple sources. The shooter, who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, had legally purchased multiple firearms, including a rifle, shotgun, and pistol used in the attack.

As Minneapolis mourns the victims of this senseless violence, this ICU nurse's experience stands as a stark reminder of the complex realities healthcare professionals navigate—sometimes facing their deepest fears while continuing to provide life-saving care to others in their community.

🤔 Nurses, tell us your thoughts in the discussion forum below.

 

 

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