St. Petersburg, Florida -- Her story is nothing short of a miracle.
She is living, breathing proof that a positive attitude, passion for life and the power of prayer can bring a person through the most dangerous and difficult of circumstances.
Kellie Shumaker was clearly born to do great things.
She came into this world 30 years ago on Christmas Day.
Her mother says the 8-pound baby couldn't wait to get here, and when she arrived, her mother, Mary, knew that Kellie was a fighter.
"She just had this spirit about her," Mary said.
Little did both mother and daughter know that one day, Kellie would need that passion more than ever.
Fast forward 30 years to the weekend of Thanksgiving 2011.
Kellie's life changed forever. She will never be the same.
Technically, she shouldn't even be here.
The 30-year-old was shot execution-style by a gunman, detectives say, and left to die on a sidewalk in St. Petersburg.
One bullet hit her in the face, and went in through the right side of her nose, then came out of her other cheek.
The other bullet pierced the back of her skull.
Kellie has a razor-shaped scar from her eye socket down her cheek. She touches if often and is self-conscious.
"My brother says I'm a soldier," she said with a giggle.
But, those who know and love her don't even see the scar, still red from stitches. They consider it a battle wound, a mark of survival.
She told us, "It hurts, and it's confusing and I don't remember it. They said I probably won't."
Kellie's story is a remarkable one. She got a second chance at life.
Quietly, she talks about what took place that Sunday morning on November 27th. "They pretty much didn't expect me to live, and they did everything they could to keep me alive. and, I'm so grateful for that," she told us.
It still doesn't seem real.
"To shoot me once, and then to come up and shoot me, both times in the head, he was definitely trying to kill me, and I honestly don't know why."
Kellie was spending time with friends on a Saturday night in St. Petersburg when they stopped a buddy's house.
She was waiting in the car, detectives say, and when she got out all she remembers is the sound of a pistol.
Kellie would wake up in the ICU at Bayfront Medical Center. She was on life support and didn't remember anything.
She couldn't talk at all.
Kellie's nasal cavity was crushed, her brain was swelling and beginning to hemorrhage. Her eardrums were shattered and she was blind.
And, what's worse, a bullet was still lodged in her brain.
Kellie was on the verge of death. The doctors said her chances were slim.
But, several days passed. That's when the miracle happened. Her mother knew things would get better. The family prayed endless prayers at her bedside, although they were prepared for the worst.
"I asked people not to cry when they came and said their good-byes to her. I said, please leave the room if you can't handle it. I don't want to upset her," Mary said.
Turns out, Kellie was a lot stronger than anyone could ever imagine.
Again, this girl is a fighter.
Her mother, Mary Shumaker, tears up when she talks about her daughter. Her love is palpable.
"It's been an overwhelming road because I wasn't going to accept the fact that she was going to die," Mary said.
Still, there was the strong chance Kellie would die.
"I truly this time had to put it in god's hands," she admited.
Kellie's mother says even though her daughter could not walk, talk or see, her baby girl immediately began trying to communicate and tell them who did this to her.
The young woman held up two fingers, then formed her hand into the shape of a gun. She shrugged as best she could and mouthed the words, "I don't know why."
Mary described how her daughter was trying to talk.
"When she did this with her fingers, we said two, and then she went like this, meaning gun, and took her hands and went like this, she said, don't know why. We were trying to read her lips."
Kellie's neurosurgeon, Dr. Kirk Jobe, managed to remove part of the bullet from her brain.
"The family knows she's very lucky, and it's hard to know whether or not they know how lucky she is from how many patients that we see with the same injury through the years that do not make it."
Dr. Jobe calls Kellie a miracle.
"We as physicians are not God, we don't know. So, I never take away hope," he told 10 News. "There's always something that could happen that's beyond anything we know about."
Kellie's mother is nursing her daughter back to health each day at home. There are doctor's appointments, medicine and the constant care of Kellie. Her eyesight has returned partially, but she's still a little shaky on her feet.
Still, this is the greatest miracle this family has ever seen. They are eternally thankful, especially to the doctors, nurses and other staff at Bayfront Medical Center, in addition to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Pinellas Detective Michael Bailey said, "People just don't come back from something like this. She is a miracle."
Kellie's mother agrees.
"I'm grateful that I can sit here and say I've got 5 children. I couldn't bear the thought of not having my five children," Mary said.
This Christmas, Kellie said, will be her best ever.
On this holiday, she was not only born 30 years ago, but this year she was given a second chance at life - the best present she's ever had.
"They saved my life. I cannot thank them enough. There's no words to describe the way I feel they were wonderful. They truly did save my life," Kellie says with a smile.
The alleged gunman in this case is behind bars and charged with Attempted First Degree Murder
She is living, breathing proof that a positive attitude, passion for life and the power of prayer can bring a person through the most dangerous and difficult of circumstances.
Kellie Shumaker was clearly born to do great things.
She came into this world 30 years ago on Christmas Day.
Her mother says the 8-pound baby couldn't wait to get here, and when she arrived, her mother, Mary, knew that Kellie was a fighter.
"She just had this spirit about her," Mary said.
Little did both mother and daughter know that one day, Kellie would need that passion more than ever.
Fast forward 30 years to the weekend of Thanksgiving 2011.
Kellie's life changed forever. She will never be the same.
Technically, she shouldn't even be here.
The 30-year-old was shot execution-style by a gunman, detectives say, and left to die on a sidewalk in St. Petersburg.
One bullet hit her in the face, and went in through the right side of her nose, then came out of her other cheek.
The other bullet pierced the back of her skull.
Kellie has a razor-shaped scar from her eye socket down her cheek. She touches if often and is self-conscious.
"My brother says I'm a soldier," she said with a giggle.
But, those who know and love her don't even see the scar, still red from stitches. They consider it a battle wound, a mark of survival.
She told us, "It hurts, and it's confusing and I don't remember it. They said I probably won't."
Kellie's story is a remarkable one. She got a second chance at life.
Quietly, she talks about what took place that Sunday morning on November 27th. "They pretty much didn't expect me to live, and they did everything they could to keep me alive. and, I'm so grateful for that," she told us.
It still doesn't seem real.
"To shoot me once, and then to come up and shoot me, both times in the head, he was definitely trying to kill me, and I honestly don't know why."
Kellie was spending time with friends on a Saturday night in St. Petersburg when they stopped a buddy's house.
She was waiting in the car, detectives say, and when she got out all she remembers is the sound of a pistol.
Kellie would wake up in the ICU at Bayfront Medical Center. She was on life support and didn't remember anything.
She couldn't talk at all.
Kellie's nasal cavity was crushed, her brain was swelling and beginning to hemorrhage. Her eardrums were shattered and she was blind.
And, what's worse, a bullet was still lodged in her brain.
Kellie was on the verge of death. The doctors said her chances were slim.
But, several days passed. That's when the miracle happened. Her mother knew things would get better. The family prayed endless prayers at her bedside, although they were prepared for the worst.
"I asked people not to cry when they came and said their good-byes to her. I said, please leave the room if you can't handle it. I don't want to upset her," Mary said.
Turns out, Kellie was a lot stronger than anyone could ever imagine.
Again, this girl is a fighter.
Her mother, Mary Shumaker, tears up when she talks about her daughter. Her love is palpable.
"It's been an overwhelming road because I wasn't going to accept the fact that she was going to die," Mary said.
Still, there was the strong chance Kellie would die.
"I truly this time had to put it in god's hands," she admited.
Kellie's mother says even though her daughter could not walk, talk or see, her baby girl immediately began trying to communicate and tell them who did this to her.
The young woman held up two fingers, then formed her hand into the shape of a gun. She shrugged as best she could and mouthed the words, "I don't know why."
Mary described how her daughter was trying to talk.
"When she did this with her fingers, we said two, and then she went like this, meaning gun, and took her hands and went like this, she said, don't know why. We were trying to read her lips."
Kellie's neurosurgeon, Dr. Kirk Jobe, managed to remove part of the bullet from her brain.
"The family knows she's very lucky, and it's hard to know whether or not they know how lucky she is from how many patients that we see with the same injury through the years that do not make it."
Dr. Jobe calls Kellie a miracle.
"We as physicians are not God, we don't know. So, I never take away hope," he told 10 News. "There's always something that could happen that's beyond anything we know about."
Kellie's mother is nursing her daughter back to health each day at home. There are doctor's appointments, medicine and the constant care of Kellie. Her eyesight has returned partially, but she's still a little shaky on her feet.
Still, this is the greatest miracle this family has ever seen. They are eternally thankful, especially to the doctors, nurses and other staff at Bayfront Medical Center, in addition to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Pinellas Detective Michael Bailey said, "People just don't come back from something like this. She is a miracle."
Kellie's mother agrees.
"I'm grateful that I can sit here and say I've got 5 children. I couldn't bear the thought of not having my five children," Mary said.
This Christmas, Kellie said, will be her best ever.
On this holiday, she was not only born 30 years ago, but this year she was given a second chance at life - the best present she's ever had.
"They saved my life. I cannot thank them enough. There's no words to describe the way I feel they were wonderful. They truly did save my life," Kellie says with a smile.
The alleged gunman in this case is behind bars and charged with Attempted First Degree Murder