Uvalde mass shooting survivor Mayah Nicole Zamora throws the ceremonial first pitch as Gallery Furniture Jim “Mattress Mac” McVale looks on during the MLB game between the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros on August 23, 2022 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire)
A student who was seriously injured and hospitalized for 66 days following the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, threw the first pitch at the Houston Astros game on Tuesday.
Mayah Zamora, 10, was honored as the August Hero of the Month at the game, and she met former Astros shortstop Carlos Correa during his first game in Houston since he was traded to the Minnesota Twins.
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During the game, Zamora and her family also learned that the Correa Family Foundation, along with other donors, would provide funding for the family to build a new house.
Zamora found out she lived just blocks away from the gunman in the shooting, and the proximity made it too hard for her to return home once she was discharged from the hospital.
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"We were proud to announce yesterday that thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, we have secured the funding to build Mayah and her family a new home in a location where she feels safe and comfortable," the Correa Family Foundation said in a statement. "We hope this will be an opportunity for Mayah and her family to rebuild their lives, make new memories, and look towards a bright future."
Zamora and her family had been staying at another residence after the Correa Family Foundation, rapper Bad Bunny's Good Bunny Foundation and the co-founders of TokenSociety.io provided a grant to her family, the foundation said.
While in the hospital, Zamora underwent more than 20 surgeries after she suffered gunshot wounds to her chest, back, hands and arms. In July, she became the last victim of the shooting to be released from the hospital.
She handed roses to staff members as she was discharged while people clapped and called her name, according to a video posted by University Hospital in San Antonio.
"It’s an important day for me, but I wanted to make it extra special for her," Correa told MLB.com. "After everything she went through, the battle she went through, and now she’s here with us. We want to celebrate life and celebrate her life. She’s here with us and we’re here to support her all the way through. It’s not just by helping with the house, but helping with whatever they need."
Zamora survived the May 24 shooting in Uvalde that left 19 of her classmates and two teachers dead. Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo was fired Wednesday evening, more than three months after the shooting. The law enforcement response to the shooting caused public outcry, as it took police over an hour to confront the gunman after the first officers entered the school.
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