Lauren Garcia went into the Shepherd Center of Atlanta in July with a spinal injury from a violent shooting rampage that threatened to leave her paralyzed.
She emerged Thursday a bride-to-be with a job offer.
The 23-year-old was discharged from the spinal hospital's in-patient rehabilitation service, months after being gunned down in a wild shooting spree outside the Midtown office building where she worked.
"Thanks to everybody for your amazing encouragement and support," Garcia said in a response last month on the Facebook page called "Thoughts and Prayers for Lauren Garcia."
She could not be reached Thursday for comment.
She was admitted to the hospital less than a week after being shot in the back by alleged gunman, Nkosi Thandiwe.
Three weeks later, her longtime boyfriend, Anel Camdzic, proposed to her.
"He wrote the proposal in chalk on the top level of the parking deck and took her to see it," Shepherd spokeswoman Jane Sanders said.
And the public relations firm she was interning with when she was shot has given her a full-time job, MSL Atlanta managing director Kyle Farnham said.
"She will join us as an account coordinator in our corporate," Farnham told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Shepherd officials say Garcia will transition to the center's out-patient rehabilitation program and will begin learning to live as a paraplegic.
"It certainly changes the direction of her life," said Dr. Brock Bowman, Shepherd associate medical director who oversaw her treatment at the facility over the past two months.
Brock said Garcia did a good job adapting to her condition, despite struggling at first.
"Initially, just getting out of bed was a struggle," he said. "But she's worked herself through a lot of pain."
Originally from Lithia Springs, Garcia had just graduated from the University of Georgia at Athens with a public relations degree.
Fellow UGA grad Brittney Watts, 26, of Decatur was killed at the scene.
Garcia’s co-worker Tiffany Ferenczy, 24, was shot in the calf, and returned to work the following week.
The alleged gunman, 22-year-old Thandiwe, was a security guard at the Proscenium building where the three women worked. Thandiwe remains in the Fulton County Jail without bond on murder and aggravated assault charges.
Shortly after noon July 15, police say, Thandiwe approached Watts in the parking lot across the street from the building. He shot once, fatally hitting her in the neck, then took her Toyota Prius to flee, investigators say.
As the gunman exited the parking garage, he allegedly fired several more shots, hitting Garcia and Ferenczy.
Thandiwe later contacted a lawyer and turned himself in to police, surrendering a handgun to authorities, officials said.
The bullet struck Garcia at the T-10 level of her spine, which is even with her navel, Brock said.
"She still cannot feel anything below that," he said. "Statistically, the odds are not good that she will walk again."
But Brock said Garcia and her parents responded hopefully to what would be taken as devastating news.
"Her parents and her fiance have been very supportive and learned how to help her," he said. "And she's worked very hard to be ready for this new life."
Last month, she thanked all of her well-wishers and supporters, including those on her Facebook page.
“I am humbled to know that I have so many supporters and people praying for my recovery,” Garcia wrote on Aug. 13 to the more than 1,300 people who “liked” the site. “Thank you again for everything!”
The Garcia family has established a trust fund to help cover Lauren's medical bills. If interested in contributing, send to: Lauren E. Garcia Trust, 6622 E. Broad St. , Douglasville, GA, 30133.
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