Joyful cheers and applause filled the hallway of a San Antonio hospital last week.
“Mayah! Mayah!” hospital workers chanted.
Mayah Zamora, a 10-year-old girl who was critically injured in May in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, was discharged Friday — the final victim of the Uvalde massacre that killed 19 children and two teachers to be released from University Health, the hospital announced.
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Mayah’s family said the 10-year-old underwent numerous surgeries, according to a June 10 update to a verified GoFundMe page in her honor.
“Mayah has a very long road to recovery, and we’re going to be with her the entire way,” the GoFundMe page said. The page has raised almost $110,000 for Mayah and her family as of Tuesday morning.
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During the months she spent at the hospital, country musician Kevin Fowler visited Mayah after learning that her family had missed plans to attend his concert because of the shooting.
Fowler said on Twitter that the hospital’s staff asked if he could come surprise her.
“What an amazing experience it was meeting this sweet little girl!” he said on Twitter in July. “She’s way braver than I could ever be.”
Meanwhile, Mayah’s friends decided in June to set up a lemonade stand in a church parking lot to raise money for her hospital fees, according to local news outlets. Her friends called her a great softball player and a kind friend.
Friday, Mayah walked through the hospital hallway in pigtail braids as she passed out pink and red roses to hospital staff, according to a video posted by the hospital. On her hand, she still wore a cast adorned with a rainbow heart sticker.
She walked to a black SUV with her loved ones, each one wearing a matching pink T-shirt with the words “Mayah Strong” surrounded by a heart.
“Bye Mayah!” hospital staff members called out after her as she waved goodbye. “Come visit us, OK?”
“She is our hero and we can’t wait to see all she accomplishes in the future! #MayahStrong,” the hospital said.
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.