WAUKESHA — 11-year-old Jessalyn Torres was among the dozens of people critically injured in the Waukesha Christmas Parade nearly 4 months ago.
Saturday Jessalyn took the stage to dance again for the first time since the attack alongside her best friend, Mariah Gipson.
"This was a duet that we started at the beginning of the season but obviously, we didn't get to do it," said Jessalyn.
Her whole world was halted the night of the parade as the two marched down Main Street together. Mariah was ok but Jessalyn suffered severe injuries after she was directly hit.
"She had a fractured skull, she had lung contusions, she had 8 fractured ribs, 3 fractured lumbar vertebrae, she lost a kidney..." said Amber Torres, Jessalyn's mother.
These are just the tip of the iceberg for injuries that kept her in the hospital for nearly a month.
"There are many other things that are important to her rather than her just living a normal life," said Amber.
The performance came out of great strength as Jessalyn had surgery on her Trachea the day prior, making this her 5th procedure since the attack.
"She's strong, she's strong-willed," said Amber.
The family has set up a Go Fund Me page to help in covering medical costs.
