(KATC) — It’s been less than a month since Breaux Bridge track star Candice Sam was shot in the arm and chest on prom night.
The Tigers freshman was coming home from a post-prom party around 2 a.m. on April 14th, when for reasons still yet to be determined, a man opened fire on the vehicle Sam was riding in, striking her in the left wrist and lodging itself deep in her chest.
“I saw him put up the gun and whenever he put up the gun I saw a fire come out and all I heard was the gunshot.,” said Sam’s cousin Layla Girod. “Candice just jumped out and screamed ‘[I] got shot.'”
Candice’s friends rushed her to Our Lady of Lakes hospital. It would be a week before she could return home; when she did, the bullet remained inside her.
Doctors were afraid to conduct surgery to remove the bullet lodged in Sam’s chest.
“They told me they not gonna take it out cause they’ll have to break a rib and cut me. and there’s a 50/50 chance I could live or die,” Sam said.
Tuesday marked Sam’s first visit back to Breaux Bridge High School since the shooting. In her honor, the school held a fundraiser to help pay for her medical bills.
After the shooting Sam’s track teammates wore pink headbands reading “Candy” across the front during their final meets of the season.
Candice doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to run track again. But her impact on the Tiger’s track team has been profound, and so is her resolve to get back on track.
“I’m probably gonna be out of shape a little bit. It’s probably gonna feel a bit different but I’m gonna get there.”
