12-Year-Old Girl, Who Was Injured Protecting Another Child During Minn. Catholic Church Shooting, Speaks Out: I'm 'Angry' By Kimberlee Speakman

Lydia Kaiser, a 12-year-old girl who was among the dozen plus people injured in the Minneapolis Catholic Church shooting that killed two others, is speaking out.

Nearly two months after the Aug. 27 tragedy, Lydia expressed her gratitude for the continued outpouring of support in an Oct. 16 update on a GoFundMe page set up to aid her recovery.

“I’m doing ok,” the child wrote. “I’ve been allowed to return to school which is great because I missed my friends and it was hard to miss out on so much.” 

Still, Lydia — who was injured while protecting a younger student during a mass at Annunciation Catholic Church, and later transported to the hospital in “very serious condition” — said she continues to cope with the lasting effects of the day.

“I still can’t play sports, but I’ve been cheering on my friends and running the scoreboard,” she explained. “I get tired more than usual but I’m not really getting headaches like I used to.”

Lydia’s family shared updated photos of her on the GoFundMe page. In the snapshots, the 12-year-old could be seen sporting short hair on the left side of her head, where she was injured in the shooting and hospital staff later performed surgery. 

“My hair is starting to grow back and it looks fuzzy where they shaved it off for my surgery,” she wrote. “I hope it grows back before I start high school. I don’t think it will grow that fast though.”

Elsewhere in her update, the eighth grader acknowledged the deaths of Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, who were killed in the attack that was carried out by Robin Westman, 23. (Westman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.)

“I’m so sad for Harper’s sister and Fletcher’s siblings,” Lydia said. “Sometimes I think I’m going to wake up from a dream even though I know what happened is real. It’s so hard to believe I actually got shot, and other kids did too.” 

“It makes me angry, but I don’t want to let the shooter win,” she added.

Related Stories

Nurse Mom Was Working in ICU When Her Critically Wounded Daughter Arrived After Minneapolis School Shooting

2 Children Dead, 17 Others Injured in ‘Evil’ Mass Shooting as They Prayed at Minneapolis Church

The preteen also said this school year will be her “last” at Annunciation. She described it as a place that is “like my home and my family,” and she plans “to do everything I can to enjoy my 8th grade year.”

“Thank you so much for your prayers and for all your love and support,” she concluded her message on the GoFundMe, which has raised over $423,000 so far. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Lydia was one of the students that Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, initially highlighted in a statement on X after the attack.

She said Lydia, whose father is a gym teacher at the school, was in the intensive care unit following the shooting and was headed “in the right direction.”

A total of 18 people — including 15 children — were injured in the attack.