Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School girls basketball player Maddy Wilford got a visit from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump late Friday night.
The high school student — who was shot several times and ‘fighting for her life in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida — is not in stable condition.
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Surrounded by family members, the Sun Sentinel reports, Wilford was photographed with the President and First Lady, who traveled to South Florida and paid a visit to victims in the hospital.
President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visit with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Madeline “Maddy” Wilford, 18, and her family, who is recovering from gunshot wounds at Broward Health North Medical Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida. #StonemanShooting pic.twitter.com/v2SPVRG1No
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@Scavino45) February 17, 2018
Wilford is currently recuperating at Broward Health North Medical Center in Deerfield, Florida. An Eagles’ teammate said Friday that Wilford was stable after having her third surgery earlier in the day. The basketball team plans to visit her on Saturday.
According to pool reports, Trump also congratulated a doctor and shook his hand. “What a great job you’ve done, and we appreciate it very much. Everybody is talking about it,” Trump said at the Broward County Sheriff’s Department headquarters. “I hope you are getting the credit for it because believe me, you deserve it. The job you have done is unparalleled.”
He told hospital staff that their speed was an “incredible thing” and he wanted to “congratulate them” for their work.
According to CNN, a senior officer joked about officers needing a raise, which Trump agreed with.
“Give them a raise,” he said.
Trump was joined by Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Rick Scott, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.
On Wednesday, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the Parkland high school, killing 14 students and three teachers. He has confessed to the shooting and is expected to plead guilty to 17 counts of premeditated murder.
Wilford, who wears No. 20 for the Stoneman Douglas basketball team according to the Sun Sentinel, was supposed to be playing in a playoff game on Thursday, but instead, was in the hospital going through multiple surgeries.
On Thursday morning, word of Wilford’s condition went viral as people around the country anxiously awaited news of her status.
In a Facebook post from late Wednesday night, Wilford’s mother Missy said, “The surgeons didn’t know how many exactly [times she was shot], but she is alive which is a miracle.”
Missy Wilford, whose post was embedded on a GoFundMe page set up by friends of the family, said her daughter suffered gunshot wounds that “went through her back, crushing her ribs, piercing her right lung and exiting her stomach. Several went through the shoulder and traveled the length of her right arm before exiting.”
While Wilford recovers, her basketball team will hit the court on Thursday to make up its Class 9A regional quarterfinal at Cypress Bay.
