EAST POINT, Ga. — An East Point family is trying everything they can to help their daughter after she was hit by a stray bullet and paralyzed.
Layla Kendall was struck a year and a half ago. She was 12 years old when she was playing outside with friends, when a stray bullet hit her in the neck. She was paralyzed from the chest down and now uses a wheelchair.
While she's adjusted to all of the changes the tragedy brought, her family told 11Alive's Kaitlyn Ross there is still one thing that's really hard for her: losing independence.
Now Layla wants some of it back.
The 14-year-old has worked hard in physical therapy to get strong. But no matter how hard she works, the teen said it is all still really hard.
And like any teen, she wants to be able to go to her room to be alone. But the journey is long for the 14-year-old. She has to get out of the house, down the ramp, around the back, up a ramp just to be in the solace of her room.
"On certain days it's hard because if it's rainy I would get wet or really cold," she said.
Her parents have done everything in their power to help her adjust to her new life and their new lives, but making their home accessible for Layla has been one of the bigger challenges.
"For me, it would be a sense of relief to know that she can go at her own pace and go when she wants to. And plus, with the elements outside, not having to worry about her getting wet, or her getting cold," said her mom, Latrice Barnes.
Layla's family is raising money to try and install an elevator inside of their home to help the teen get to her room with more ease.
"It would give a better sense of security, knowing our daughter can handle each of her daily tasks, or even in the case of an emergency, she can handle everything on her own. Right now, everything is dependent on someone assisting her," said her father, Antoine Barnes.
He has been deployed as a Commander in the U.S. Army and just got home. He said it's been so hard to feel powerless to help Layla.
"It's a very tough job, it's a very tough job. And you never know how hard it is until you're out there across the water and you want to reach out and touch them and all you can do is a video call," he said about his time away.
Henry County Police arrested three men for the shooting last fall, but the family said they still don't have many answers about what happened.
"It's tough for me because to this day, I still don't know what and why -- I just know it happened," Latrice said. "And it's frustrating because it's unfair. It's definitely not fair to Layla."
Layla knows none of this is fair, but she just wants to keep moving forward -- and go to her room.
"Don't give up, and keep trying no matter how hard it gets," said Layla.
The American Legion stepped in to help the family with the fundraiser, but they still have a long way to go. It will cost about $40,000 to install the elevator and insurance won't cover a dime of it.
The fundraiser can be found here.