She’s a mother, a daughter and a sister to five siblings. And now, support from family will mean more than ever for Kimberley O’Hara as she recovers from serious injuries sustained when she was run down by a U-Haul van in downtown Edmonton last weekend.
“It’s devastating. She’s fighting for her life, plain and simple,” O’Hara’s sister, Carrie O’Hara-Zahorodney, said. “We’re in shock, we’re trying to heal. And number one, we’re here for my sister just trying to heal her. It’s all about her right now.”
READ MORE: Who are the victims of the Edmonton attacks?
O’Hara, 30, suffered critical injuries on Saturday night when she was hit by the moving van near the Matrix Hotel. The U-Haul rampage was part of multiple attacks that injured three other pedestrians and EPS Const. Mike Chernyk.
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O’Hara’s injuries were severe. She suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed, which O’Hara-Zahorodney said has since stopped. She’s been in and out of consciousness, also suffering from a severely fractured leg and lacerations to her liver and lung, her sister explained.
“Her little body is fighting and it’s sad to see such a beautiful human being — inside and out — her poor, perfect little body broken. It’s hard not to be sad.”
LISTEN: Police radio transmissions reveal attempts to stop U-Haul rampage in Edmonton
O’Hara-Zahorodney was celebrating a friend’s birthday downtown on Saturday night and saw the heavy police presence on Jasper Avenue from the apartment building she was in. She wondered what was going on, but didn’t think too much of it. That was until she received a phone call from her dad on Sunday, telling her her sister was injured in the attacks.
“I just started screaming,” she said. “When I got that phone call, I don’t know. Sunday was a blur.”
O’Hara-Zahorodney rushed to the hospital to be by her sister’s side.
“She was literally fighting for her life. If it wasn’t for the doctors, the paramedics, the fast action of the police, my sister would be dead,” O’Hara-Zahorodney said.
“We were shocked and stunned to see the condition of her and that’s why I’m so happy to share with everybody that Kimberley is improving and she’s going to be OK.”
READ MORE: RCMP looking for photos, video of Edmonton attack on Jasper Ave Saturday
Little by little, O’Hara’s condition has improved every day, her sister said; Wednesday was the biggest day in her recovery so far.
“She recognized me yesterday,” O’Hara-Zahorodney said.
“She said, ‘Sister, I love you’ and took my hand and held it to her face, which elated me with such joy.
“We all are starting to breathe that sigh of relief that we’re actually seeing Kimberley finally improve. We’ve been terrified, we’ve been scared.”
READ MORE: Nursing student lauded for quick response during Edmonton attacks
While the entire Edmonton community tries to come to grips with what happened last weekend and why, O’Hara-Zahorodney said her sister is a good person with a good soul and she wouldn’t want to focus on negativity and anger.
“I think she’d be more sad and heartbroken that such ugliness is happening in our world.”
While the attacks have forever changed her family, O’Hara-Zahorodney said they’re trying not to be angry about what happened to her sister, they’re just trying to focus on her recovery.
O’Hara remains in hospital. O’Hara-Zahorodney said while doctors seem optimistic, she knows her sister’s recovery will take months, if not years.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for O’Hara to support her in her recovery.
Watch below: Ongoing Global News coverage of the Edmonton attacks
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