NIU shooting victim released from hospital

Maria Ruiz-Santana of Elgin was released Monday from Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, 11 days after being wounded in the Valentine's Day shootings at Northern Illinois University.

Ruiz-Santana, 20, was admitted to the Downers Grove hospital on Feb. 14 with gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and abdomen.

Her injuries required immediate surgery to the trachea, windpipe and esophagus.

At a press conference Monday, doctors said the Elgin woman's prognosis is good and they do not expect her to experience any long-term effects from her injuries.

"After the operation, she made impressive progress with recovery -- more speedy than expected," said Dr. Peter Petratos, the trauma surgeon on duty when she arrived.

"Initially, with the degree of injuries she had, we'd usually think (recovery) would take longer," he said. "She had youth on her side and a strong spirit, which helped the physical recovery."

Ruiz-Santana was not at the press gathering. But her father, Alfredo Ruiz, carried a card on which his daughter had written a note.

"My thoughts and prayers are with families whose victims have passed away," Ruiz-Santana wrote.

The family found out Saturday that Ruiz-Santana could go home. Ruiz said his daughter is eager to get back to her schoolwork.

"If I said, 'You can go now,' she'd go to school today," he said. "She's determined to finish her goals, and one is school."

But he said Ruiz-Santana must recover both physically and mentally before returning to her classes.

Immediately after the shooting, Ruiz said his daughter would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. Since then, he said, she has improved.

"Psychologically speaking, she's pretty strong," Ruiz said. "But I'm concerned about it, even though she's been talking, trying to express herself. She wants to let us know everything about how it happened."

Ruiz related the story of the shooting as it was told him by his daughter.

"She told me she was in front, and she saw this guy in black get a shotgun out from his belt and start shooting," Ruiz said. "When she turned, she received one of the first shots and had no time to react. When she could react, she went down (on the ground)."

When she realized she was able to move, Ruiz said, his daughter got up and tried to help nearby friends, but shots continued, forcing students to stay on the ground.

"She remembers everything," Ruiz said. "She remembers every shot."

Ruiz-Santana knew two of the victims who did not survive: Ryanne Mace and Catalina Garcia.

Ruiz said the friends were sitting near each other in the auditorium when the shooting began.

"She was devastated when she heard that two of her good friends had died," Ruiz said. "They were sitting by each other, and she got to stay."

Ruiz-Santana is studying criminology. Her dad said she plans to continue on that path and is even more excited about law enforcement after having been the victim of a crime.

"She feels sorry for this guy (the shooter)," Ruiz said. "She doesn't have any anger for him."

Lauren Debrauwere of Lake Barrington is the last NIU victim still hospitalized. She remained in fair condition Monday, according to officials at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.