UVALDE, Texas — Miah Cerrillo is a true survivor.
When she was 3, she had a tumor in her stomach. She survived that.
But what she endured last week at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde is already affecting her in ways that are beyond imaginable.
Unimaginable trauma
Miah is 11. She was in the classroom where 19 of her peers and two of her teachers were killed by a gunman last Tuesday.
Her parents said the brave girl smeared blood on herself and pretended to be dead as she waited for help to arrive. They don't want to be identified.
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She's still traumatized. Her parents said she's haunted by the tragedy and they're scrambling to find her the help she needs.
"She actually took her teacher's cell phone and ... was calling (for help). She kept saying the shooter is in her classroom," her father said.
"Her teacher was blocking the kids," her mother said.
Miah witnessed the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. The day has left her living in fear.
How she survived
"They killed one of her friends right next to her. She tried helping her but she was gone. She got her blood, smeared it on her ... pretended she was dead to save her life," the girl's father said.
Her parents said they waited outside the school for what seemed like an eternity. That's when they finally saw their little girl coming out of the school with an officer.
"She was covered with blood," her mother said. "Our main concern (was) is she OK? Is she hurt?"
Miah was taken to an area hospital with bullet fragments in her back. Even though she made it out alive, her parents said their once happy, cheerful daughter has been ripped away from them.
The aftermath
"She is scared ... Anything will set her off. She thinks he is out to get her," her mother said.
Not only was her innocence and happiness taken, but she also lost her classmates and friends.
"She'll be, like, 'I don't have friends anymore,'" her mother said.
The healing process will be a long road. Her mother said she wants to go to the beach and asked for peace and quiet. Her parents said they are hoping to take her soon. They've set up a GoFundMe account to help cover any therapy she needs.
- Eva Mireles, 44, was one of the first victims identified in the Uvalde school shooting. She was a fourth-grade teacher.
- Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, was a third-grader at Robb Elementary. Her cousin, Jackie, was also killed in the shooting.
- Xavier Lopez, 10, had been eagerly awaiting a summer of swimming.
- Layla Salazar, 11, loved to swim and dance to Tik Tok videos.
- Uziyah Garcia, 8, was among those killed.
- Rogelio Torres, 10, was killed in the shooting.
- Eliahna García, 9, died in the shooting.
- Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, 10, also was killed and her aunt noted Naveah’s first name is Heaven spelled backward. Her cousin, Jailah, was also killed in the shooting.
- Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10, was looking forward to her last softball game of the season before she was killed Tuesday.
- Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10, was among the victims. She was Naveah's cousin.
- Jose Manuel Flores Jr., 10, was helpful around the house and loved his younger siblings. Jose loved baseball and video games and “was always full of energy.”
- Amerie Jo Garza, 10, was a happy child who made the honor roll and loved to paint, draw and work in clay.
- Maranda Mathis, 11, was “very loving and very talkative.”
- Alithia Ramirez, 10, was among the victims.
- Irma Garcia, 48, was also killed in the shooting. She taught at the school for 23 years. According to reports, she died while shielding her students from the shooter.
- Jackie Cazares, 9, was killed in her classroom. She was with a group of five girls, including her second cousin, Annabelle Rodriguez.
- Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10, loved school and was killed in the shooting.
- Makenna Lee Elrod, 10, was also killed in the shooting.
- Tess Marie Mata, 10, loved TikTok dance videos, Ariana Grande, the Houston Astros, and having her hair curled.
- Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, 10, recently made the honor roll with all As and received a good citizen award.
- Maite Rodriguez, 10, especially liked physical education, and after she died, her teacher texted her mother to say she was highly competitive at kickball and ran faster than all the boys.
Who was the gunman?
Ramos is from Uvalde and had previously hinted on social media that an attack could be coming. Ramos “suggested the kids should watch out.”
Before heading to the school, Ramos shot his grandmother with two military-style rifles he purchased on his birthday.
The attack began at about 11:30 a.m. when the gunman crashed his car outside the school and ran into the building, according to Travis Considine, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The motive for the shooting is currently unknown.