Virginia elementary school teacher shot by student speaks out for the first ... trends now
The Virginia teacher who was wounded after a six-year-old student shot her inside a classroom is speaking out for the first time since the incident.
Talking with TODAY, Abigail Zwerner, 25, said she is still recovering from her gruesome injuries after a young student pulled out a gun in class and shot her in January at the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.
Zwerner told TODAY host Savannah Guthrie she continues to face 'obstacles and challenges' after several operations in the three months since the incident.
'Some days are not so good days, where I can't get up out of bed. Some days are better than others, where I'm able to get out of bed and make it to my appointments,' said Zwerner.
The news of the shooting shocked the small community and caused outrage inside the district after it was revealed that Zwerner and other educators had gone to administration officials saying the child was rumored to have a gun on him.
Talking with TODAY , Abigail Zwerner, 25, said she is still recovering from her gruesome injuries after a young student pulled out a gun in class and shot her in January at the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia
At the time, DailyMail.com reported that Zwerner had been shot in the hand by the student - whose name has never been made public - and that the bullet had then hit her in the chest
The 25-year-old teacher gave the interview while appearing with her left hand bandaged from a surgery to repair a bone that was damaged in the shooting.
At the time, DailyMail.com reported that Zwerner had been shot in the hand by the student - whose name has never been made public - and that the bullet had then hit her in the chest.
Zwerner told the TODAY anchor that she is recovering from several physical injuries.
One of those injuries is a wound on her side where doctors inserted a breathing tube after her lung collapsed.
The teacher - who was hailed as a hero for saving other students in her class from the child - told Guthrie she has found herself exhausted from the constant string of surgeries and appointments.
'But, you know, for going through what I've gone through, I try to stay positive,' said Zwerner, who spent two weeks in the hospital after being shot.
Zwerner now says she has trouble with simple tasks such as making a fist, getting dressed, and opening her own water bottle.
Her doctors have told her it's unclear if she will ever regain normal function in her left hand. She continues to attend physical therapy which she said is 'exhausting.'
'Physical therapy is not only physically exhausting but mentally exhausting as well. I'm supposed
