WAUKESHA, Wis. — It’s been seven months since the deadly parade attack in Waukesha. Jessalyn Torres, one of the victims in that parade, is recovering and working to move on in life.
At home, there’s a lot of love for Jessalyn Torres these days. Though she plays tough for the cameras, she’s been taking all the love in since last November, when moments were nearly taken away.
The last time TMJ4 News caught up with Jessalyn, she was using a wheelchair. She still fights to get back to a normal life and still has scars and issues with her back and trachea.
“It took away a lot of the things that I can do in the summer, like tubing on the boat or a lot of everyday movements,” she said.
Monday, on July 4, Jessalyn and her family went to their first parade since the tragedy, back to Main Street in Waukesha, which was a step in itself.
“Our walk down to where we were going to sit, we had to cross the area where things happened and as I’m standing there, it was like everything playing in my head over again,” said Amber Kohnke, Jessalyn’s mother.
They came home, only to hear news of another one just an hour away in Highland Park, Illinois.
At the scene are remnants of innocent people fleeing, harkening back to those harrowing moments in Waukesha just seven months ago.
“Now, the world and communities are feeling like they have to live in a state of fear,” Kohnke said. “This is not a way to live. It’s not fair to anybody. My heart goes out to those families because I know, how horrible this is.”
As for Jessalyn, she's moving on, continuing to recover and refusing to let terror have dominion over her ability to enjoy her life.
“Things happen, and sometimes, very bad things happen, and I just know I will recover one day and be able to do all the things that I want to do and that’s just reminding me to push forward every day,” she said.
Jessalyn said, as of now she plans to attend this year’s holiday parade in Waukesha.
